WITCH: Cries from the Woods
by Madam Ionah
Summary: There are the things that dwell in the darkness; waiting in the shadows for an unsuspecting victim to cross their path. This is a sequel to W.I.C.H.T.: Inbetween with a surprise at the end. Cover Image Belongs to MiKeiLo from DA. I do not own WITCH. This contains WillXPhobos.
1. Author's Note

Quick Note:

Yep, this is an attempt at a sequel to W.I.T.C.H.: Inbetween. This will not be taking place in the Inbetween, the girls from there will not be featured, and there won't be as much blood. Inbetween was an experiment to see if people would like it and people did. You guys, with your amazing comments and PMs, really helped me with this. I did have to ignore some of your PMs, as I am not going to write an adult NSFW chapter about Will and Phobos on their wedding night. I can, but I won't. PLEASE STOP ASKING.

With this story, I want to introduce another OC that, I feel, would fit to this crazy gang of people. I don't even know if Irma has a cousin, but this sounded like a fun story to explore. It won't be as long as Inbetween, but I'll try to make the chapters longer. I am experimenting with another genre that would fit the atmosphere. There will be more Will X Phobos in this; Afterall, they are married now.

Yup, there is going to be a surprise at the end…well…maybe near the end…I haven't decided yet. Now some Questions for this story.

What do you think this story is going to be about?

What do you think the surprise would be?

Should Elyon be featured in this story?

If I finish this story, would you like it narrated on Youtube?

If even 1 person read this and comments, I'll submit the first chapter within the week. PROMISE!


	2. Chapter 1 Into the Woods

Life was going great for Will since the wedding; she had just turned 15, her husband was kind and warm to her, the people adored their new Queen, the rebel group is pleased, the economy is on a steady increase, and the tensions between Morovia and Ero have decreased to a low rumble; it couldn't be more perfect. Furthermore, she found it easier and easier to balance her school, work, private, and married life with each passing week. Mer mother was still hesitant and interrogated her every time she visited, but Will could live with that; Susan was simply concerned for her safety. Lastly, Irma had invited her, her friends, and her husband out for a 3-day vacation to her cousin's cabin in the Canadian backwoods which Will was excited about; Irma had also invited Elyon and Will hoped her and Phobos could patch-up their relationship and finally act like brother and sister instead of strangers.

However, there were a few things that bugged the young queen. Cedric still hadn't accepted her and shot her angry glares whenever he could get away with it; Will didn't mind that since she didn't care much about the Lord herself. Cornelia still hadn't spoken a single kind word to her and has resorted to petty bullying at school; Will could weather that too since Cornelia hadn't done anything too extreme, just some petty insults, comments about Will's dress wear, and dirty glares. Next, Will hadn't been feeling completely herself for a couple of weeks; she wasn't sick, and she could eat and drink, but she simply felt off. The feeling wasn't too noticeable, and she often forgot about it, so she simply wrote it off as her body adapting to the new nutrition she was exposed to. There was a popular fruit in Meridian called bitter-plum which, true to its' name, was bitter. Will tried it a few times and even tried a liquor made of it but couldn't get past the tongue-biting bitterness. Lastly, her husband was a workaholic.

She knew, when she married him, that he would work every free moment, but it was getting ridiculous whenever she and Phobos decided to do something together. Now, with only 3 hours before they had to get ready and meet the girls before Cedric's bookstore back on Earth, Will was resting in bed waiting for her husband to finish the last batch of letters addressed to his cousin in Ero. She hadn't seen him since dinner, so Will wasn't too worried about his health, but she couldn't sleep without him by his side. The bed felt too cold without him.

Annoyed, Will got out of bed, wrapped a warm, emerald green, robe around herself, and made her way to his study where she knew she would find him. As expected, when she reached the threshold to his study, she found him bent over the table with a neat stack of letters in front of him. Will just rolled her eyes and walked up behind him; wrapping her arms around his shoulders and resting her head against his. "Would this husband of mine please come to bed? We have to leave for Earth in 3 hours and the bed is too cold without you."

"In a moment, my dear. Let me finish this last letter to the Morovian general and I will join you."

"I am not leaving until you come to bed." Will hummed and gently ran her nails against her husband's jaw. "Besides, this room sees you more than I do."

"Wilhelmina, you are exaggerating at this point," Phobos replied and leaned his head back against his wife's chest to listen to her heartbeat. "You know I am just doing this to Morovia doesn't decide to go to war while we are gone."

"You don't trust Morovia enough to leave them alone for 3 days?"

"I trust them only as far as I can throw them." He replied before signing the bottom of the letter and sealing it with wax. "There, the last letter signed and sealed. My attention is all yours."

"Great, now come to bed for a power nap before we leave for the cabin." Will quipped and pulled her husband by the arm. Just before reaching their bedroom, Phobos leaned close to his wife's ear and whispered.

"You look great in green." Will just blushed and playfully elbowed him in the side. He made a comment like that every day, just to see if she would blush; so far he was always successful. When they lay down, he put his arms around her and held her close. Will took the opportunity to run the tips of her fingernails along the back of his neck; after walking to the study and back, she wasn't tired anymore and she knew her husband was sensitive there. Phobos's eyes shoot open and he grabs Will's hand to stop her before giving her a confused look.

"You aren't tired."

"Not anymore because of you. Besides, you never complained in the past about me touching you, so why are you upset now?"

"I am not upset. You wanted to get some sleep before we leave." He then got a mischievous grin and began to tickle her sides, which caused Will to curl into a giggling ball. Will tried to stifle her giggles while swatting his hands away, but it was no use. After a good moment, he stopped and allowed Will to catch her breath. "However, it seems rest is the last thing on your mind now."

"I was tired earlier, but then I had to go and find you, so I don't freeze to death." Will giggled and grabbed hold of Phobos's shirt front and pulled herself a little closer to her husband for warmth.

"Now you are overreacting. I would have come to bed anyway."

"Sure, you would have, which is why I had to go out and practically drag you bed."

At this, Phobos rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her middle. "Oh, my poor neglected wife." He said in a sarcastic tone of voice. "What ever could I do to earn your forgiveness?"

"Hmm, I don't know." A mischievous grin spread across her lips and quickly rolled on top of him, pinning her husband to the bed, and placed a quick kiss on his lip. "Try a kiss or two."

Perhaps they weren't going to get any rest tonight.

XXXXX

In the ungodly early hours, the next day, Will and Phobos patiently waited in front of the antique book store for the other girls to arrive. Will's excitement grew with each passing minute, to the point where she didn't mind the cold of the late winter weather. It hadn't snowed yet, but it was cold enough for ice crystals to form on windows and for their breath to be visible. Just as Will was going to ask her husband for the time, the couple heard approaching footsteps and the familiar giggling of her friends. Looking up the street, Will couldn't hide her smile as she saw her group of friends approaching. Irma was the first to notice Will and Phobos and immediately broke from the group to crush Will in a bear-hug. "There is my favorite married friend."

"I am your only married friend." Will gasped. "Give it some time and then you'll be married yourself." She squeaked out as her lungs were being crushed. Then Irma released her friend and attempted to give Phobos the same treatment; however, he gracefully sidestepped the water-witch and shook her hand instead.

"Nice to see you too Irma."

"Great to see Will got you out of the castle at last. I got Mr. and Mrs. Brown to let Elyon come along. It is too late to say no, so you are gonna have to accept it- "

"Will told me Elyon would be joining us. What I would like to know, is how we are going to get to our destination." Phobos interrupted Irma. He knew she was trying to be funny and friendly, but with their past, less than a year away it simply felt too awkward for him. Besides, he didn't feel like having his ribs cracked by her boa constrictor grip. Meanwhile, Will was greeting and hugging Taranee, Hay-Lyn, and Elyon; she saw them every day at school, but their social time together had been cut short since she became Queen, so Will was happy to spend some time with them.

"My cousin Danny should be here any moment," Irma said loud enough for everyone to hear. "However, I should warn all of you, she can be a bit difficult to deal with."

"Are you talking about the same Danny that pushed you out of a tree when you were 7 and caused you to almost break your arm?" Hay-Lyn asked with a frown. Irma nodded as she remembered the event and how Danny never apologized for it.

"The exact same. Danny is staying with her grandmother. Thankfully we won't have to deal with her siblings. They are currently going through some custody issues since her mother died so she might be more of a crab than usual." She added just as the headlights of a mini-bus came into view. The bus sat 9 people, not including the driver, comfortably. It was white with dents and rust spots marring its' surface, which fit the rattling sound from the motor. Clearly, that bus had seen better days. With a hushed groan, Irma muttered: "Here she is."

The bus came to a screeching halt in front of the group and the driver's side door opened and slammed shut again; just as the driver came into view, Irma leaned over to Will and whispered. "I told Danny over the phone that you and your husband are 18 and 20 years old, that way she won't think this is creepy."

Will quietly thanked Irma as the driver came into view and stood before the group. In the early morning sun, Will could hardly understand what she was seeing; the woman in front of her was a perfect example of a mismatched mess. Danny's blond hair couldn't be much longer than Will's but the way she wore it in two mess pigtails, made it look even shorter and the countless cowlicks didn't help. Her short stature told Will that Danny couldn't be much older than her as well; perhaps 2 years older at the most. Her clothes were a mess, consisting of nothing but hand-me-downs and nowhere near warm enough for this weather. Her outfit consisted of a messy, gray shirt that was 2 sizes too large; a pair of olive-green cargo shorts held up by red suspenders; a mismatched pair of blue and white baseball socks; sloppily tied combat boots; everything finished with an old, black, leather jacket. This woman looked like she had simply rolled out of a laundry basket before diving to meet them. However, Will could look past all that; what she couldn't look past of was Danny's mismatched eyes. Danny's left eye was a gray-sapphire blue, similar to her husbands, while the right was a bright bottle green; Will knew this condition was called heterochromia but had never seen it in person or thought she would in her entire life. Will's thoughts were cut short when the woman opened her mouth and roughly greeted Irma. "Hey Irms, so these are your friends?"

"Yes Danny, these are my friends that I told you about." Irma gestured to her friends and was about to introduce Danny to them when Danny kept talking.

"Lemme guess." She then pointed to Hay-Lyn. "Pigtails is little Hay-Lyn." She then pointed to Taranee, "You fit Taranee's description from the phone." She then points to Elyon, "You are li'le Elyot- "

"Elyon." Elyon tried to correct, but Danny was already past her.

"You must be Will and you…" Danny stopped when she reached Will's husband and simply stared at him, clearly forgetting his name. "I forgot your name, but you are married to the red-head."

"His name is Ph- "

"Phobos Escanor and yes, I am married to the red-head." Phobos interrupted before Will could give Danny his false name.

"That is a very stupid name, but it fits your weird looks." Danny shrugged and pointed to his tattooed eyebrows. Then she addressed Irma again. "Where the hell do you meet these weirdos Irms?" When Irma didn't respond fast enough, Danny simply shrugged. "Ah what the hell am I talking about? This is Heatherfield, weirdness is preprogrammed."

Will froze and looked up at her husband; sure, enough he wasn't using an illusion to disguise his Meridian heritage. Except for his clothes, a black sweater and tan jeans, he was himself. Before Will could silently ask her husband what he was thinking, Danny opened the sliding buss door and gestured for the crowd to enter. "Come on folks, we got a 7-hour drive ahead of us and I ain't plannin' on gettin' stuck in traffic because of you slow-pokes."

Then, Danny returned to sit behind the wheel, leaving the group a little stunned and Taranee leaned closer to Irma to ask, "This is your cousin?"

"Sadly, yes." She replied and stepped onto the bus, placing her small suitcase under her window seat in the middle row. Taranee only sighed and muttered to herself.

"This is going to be an interesting vacation." With that, she stepped onto the bus and to her window seat right behind Danny. Hay-Lyn, visibly uncomfortable, stepped onto the bus intending to sit beside Irma but Taranee pulled her onto the seat beside her instead. Hay-Lyn didn't argue because Elyon took the seat beside Irma which made the air-witch realize that the group was attempting to have Elyon socialize with her brother during this vacation; starting with the drive to the cabin. Before Will stepped onto the bus, she took hold of her husband's hand and told him in thought.

"_I want you to sit in the corner by the window. That way I can rest against you and you can't escape." _

"_I am more than just a pillow for you." _

"_That is true, you are a pillow and a blanket that didn't let me sleep last night, Now sit in the corner."_ Will gently nudged him, and he relented and took his seat in the back corner of the bus; he didn't have the energy to fight her. Will took her seat beside him after closing the sliding door and entwined her fingers with his; she still wasn't done with him_. "Why are you not in disguise?" _

"_I wasn't in disguise when I introduced myself to your mother."_

"_That was different, and she almost went catatonic because of you."_

"_Well, Danny doesn't seem to care about my appearance or anyone's appearance for that matter."_

"_Still, what you did was incredibly reckless."_

"_Which is why we are married." _at this, Will gently elbowed him at that comment with a smirk on her face. Within moments, Danny started the rickety bus and the group was on its' way. The bus vibrated more than it should, wobbled whenever it hit a pothole, and smelled of old fabric; however, it was toasty warm, and the seats were comfortable so the group couldn't complain. For a moment, the group drove in silence, which quickly became unbearable for Irma. Taking a small risk, she knelt on her seat and turned around to face Will and Phobos. "So, you told him that Elyon was coming alone?"

"I have no secrets towards my husband," Will replied and leaned against him. Phobos simply put an arm around her while holding open a book, that he had taken along for the drive, with the other.

"So, what is it like to be married?" Irma continued. Will was sure that, if Irma had a camera, she would be taking a picture of this scene.

"It is like having a boyfriend except I call him husband and I share a bed with him." Will then sent her husband a message over the mind to escape a potentially cringy situation. It was already awkward enough that Susan interrogated her of their private life, she didn't need her friend to add onto that mess. "Find a way to change the subject now and quick."

Quickly, Phobos closed his book and addressed his sister. "Elyon."

Elyon quickly turned around in her seat to face her brother; she was hoping to befriend her brother since he was now married to her best friend. "Yeah?"

"Will told me your Winter elective for school was Accounting. How is it going and are you enjoying the class?" Irma frowned and sat back down, she had a feeling Will instigated this conversation to avoid her questions but couldn't prove that.

"Oh, I am doing great in Accounting. It is way easier than Algebra and the teacher allows us to use a calculator to calculate depreciation. The other student say it is boring, but I like it." Replied Elyon, but before she could continue flaunting over the course, there came a voice from the driver. Danny was using a high-pitched, nasally voice, similar to that of a duck with sinus issues, to pick fun over Elyon's interest in Accounting.

"I like Accounting. Numbers are my friends, but mostly because I don't have any real friends, so numbers have to be my friends." Against her will, Irma let out a slight chuckle and Elyon sat back down in her seat, blushing with embarrassment. Danny simply starred back at the group using the review mirror.

"Did that hit too close to home kiddo?" she addressed Elyon. When the blond-haired girl didn't reply, Danny simply smiled and shook her head. "Don't take me too seriously kiddo. I just wanted you to sit back down before you got yourself hurt." She then addressed the whole bus. "Folks, for your own safety, keep your butts in the seats while the bus is driving!"

That was when Hay-Lyn noticed a bracelet on Danny's right wrist, from which hung a silver pendant. It wasn't something Hay-Lyn had seen before; it was a small cylinder with a four-sided arrow tip on the end, altogether about the length of her thumb. It could have come from a place like HotTopic or QVC. Leaning forward a bit, the air-witch pointed at it and asked. "Where did you get that and what is it?"

"That is a compressed spear, so unless you want us to get impaled I suggest you keep your mitts off it," Danny replied nonchalantly and Hay-Lyn snapped her hand back, now afraid of the object.

"Why do you have that on your bracelet then?" Taranee asked and put her arms around a frightened Hay-Lyn.

"My older brother Tony gave it to me for self-defense. I never had to use it so far, but I keep it on me just in case. No one fucks with you when you can whoop their ass with a stick that came out of nowhere." Danny replied and turned onto the interstate. This was going to be a very interesting vacation.


	3. Chapter 2 Arrival

As the group drove down the interstate, they had a pleasant chat about everything going on in their lives. Irma often tried to engage the newlyweds in the conversation, but Phobos was reading his book and Will would only give quick, non-descriptive answers. Will's answers dropped to simple 'yes' or 'no' once Irma brought up the subject of children.

"So, are you two planning on having kids?"

"Yup,"

"Is anything showing?" which was code for: Are you pregnant yet?

"Nope."

"Have you two been trying?"

"Nope," Will replied after a second of silence. It was already awkward enough that her mother asked this once a week, she didn't need nor want Irma to join that mess. If she wanted kids with her husband, she would. If she didn't want to have kids until later in life, then she would wait. Either way, it wasn't Irma's place to ask these things.

"Can you get your husband to stop reading and be part of the conversation?" which was code for: I know you are lying and want him to give his side of the story in the chance he might slip-up.

"Nope." While Irma was questioning Will, Elyon gently tugged on Irma's jacket, trying to pull her back into her seat. This was as awkward for the young girl as it was for the newlyweds in the back row and she just wanted her friend to stop being weird. That was when Danny's saving words echoes throughout the bus.

"Ay you two in the back, if you ever have kids don't let Irms get her hand on them. Better-yet, keep it a secret and hide any evidence." Irma froze as Danny recounted a story from their childhood. "When my mom had my li'le sister, Irma claimed her as her own and tried to take my li'le sister home with her."

"Oh, so Irma was always this weird about romance and children?" Taranee asked with an eyebrow raised in mischief. She was going to learn something about her friend that Irma would have never admitted to. Plus, Danny managed to make Irma shut-up for once since the trip started.

"Hell yeah!" Danny chuckled. "she made me a mock wedding for my cats, always insists on dressing me as a bride for Halloween and couldn't keep her mitts off my li'le siblings when she visited for the summer. Girl sees herself as a natural matchmaker. I told her parents to stop letting her read those romance books, but it appears my pleas have fallen on deaf ears." Irma took this as her cue to sit down and Taranee tried to muffle her laughter; it was good to know that Irma was always this way.

"If you don't mind me asking." Hay-Lyn interrupted and leaned forward a bit. "But how many siblings do you have?"

"I am number 6 of 8 and am glad I can stop counting after my younger brother Jack."

"So, you are not upset about your mother's death?" Taranee was a little shocked and the rest of the group felt too awkward to stop this conversation train.

"I didn't know that lady enough to miss her. All I know is that she popped out my siblings and me, then was never home to raise them." Danny casually replied and looked back at Taranee using the review mirror.

"I am sorry to hear that." Taranee looked down at her feet; however, Danny simply laughed and shook her head.

"Don't feel bad. I don't mind talking about my folks. If anything, I find it funny to tell folks my stories and making them laugh. I got a story about me shooting a raccoon with a paintball gun to keep it from eating my chickens. My neighbors woke-up to a surprise that night; it ain't every night that you wake up to a fuchsia-pink raccoon running from a gal sitting in a rocking chair on her front-porch while wearing a blue nightgown, with a chicken on her lap, and a paintball gun in her hands." Replied Danny with light-hearted laughter which seemed infections because Hay-Lyn nearly keeled over in her seat.

"How old are you Danny? 18, 20, 25…" Taranee asked, which earned her a light smack on the back of her head from Irma; clearly, a question that should remain unanswered.

"I am 15, but when we get pulled over, we all agree that my ID says 18. We ain't going over boarder-checks so we should be fine." At this, Will and Phobos exchanged questioning glances. Taking her hand, he told her.

"Your friends have a very interesting family."

"It must be my luck to be surrounded by weirdness," Will replied and leaned against her husband's chest, now that Irma was distracted.

The group drove on like that for hours with Danny telling one story after another and Hay-Lyn on the verge of passing out from laughing; all the while, Irma sank lower and lower into her seat whenever she was mentioned. With those stories, time flew by and soon, view of the interstate and cities changed to that of grey trees, dead for the Winter, and leave-covered forest grounds. The paved roads changed to ones made of gravel, then to ones made of dirt and logs. As Danny promised, they took back-roads and forest roads to avoid border control. Then, after driving through the woods and back-roads, the bus returned to paved roads belonging to a sleepy town called Friendship Valley. Glancing out the steamed windows, the group could see several antiques-shops, book-stores, souvenir-shops; all of which were either low on business or closed for the season. Obviously, this quaint back-roads town was hopping during the spring, summer, and fall but Winter was the time it slept like the bears in the forest. Near the center of the town, Danny took a sharp right and drove down a road leading away from the business heart of the town; within minutes, the dainty pastel houses grew few and far between and the sight of woods returned. Finally, they drove past a weather-worn sign welcoming them to "Fox Cottage, 2 kilometers from here."

The woods were quiet and grey with winter chill. The pathway to the cabin was made of gravel and the bus slightly rocked back and forth. The dead silence of the woods crept into the bus and the group fell silent. It was too silent. This ear ringing quiet began to unnerve Elyon to the point she fidgeted with a strand of her hair; looking around, she noticed that the others were unnerved as well. What had happened? Everything was just fine a moment ago; they were having a good time laughing Danny's stories and now it was as silent as the grave. Elyon wondered if she should say something to break the quiet, but her throat felt as dry as the desert and her mind went blank. Luckily, Danny managed to break the quiet.

"Before I drive you folks up to my grandma's doorstep, why do you folks even want to stay here with me? There ain't much to do in the offseason. I understand Irma getting shoved onto my back, but why did the rest of you guys come along?" Danny asked while looked back at the group using the review mirror.

"Irma asked and your grandmother said it would alright if we came along and she said yes." Answered Taranee.

"Plus, it is anywhere but Heatherfield." Added Elyon.

"Yeah, you guys probably got about that last one, but I'll warn you ahead of time. There ain't much to do so you folks are gonna be bored to tears." Replied Danny as they reached the cabin's driveway and she quickly jumped out.

"With you, Danny, it ain't going to be boring." Quipped Hay-Lyn as she opened the bus door and jumped out herself, glad to finally get out of the bus and stretch her limbs. Taranee and Elyon followed quickly; Irma was a little slower since she was had tried to completely sink into the bus-seat. With a quick moment alone, Will looked at her husband and asked.

"Do you think we will be bored to tears?"

"There hasn't been a single dull moment around us since we have been married." He replied and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

The cabin was a cozy structure in the middle of a clearing and was entirely made of wood. With two large bay windows on the second level, a wraparound front porch, and a stone chimney billowing out thick smoke the cabin was a picture perfect setting. The air felt even cooler here than back in Heatherfield, with the frozen grass crushing under their feet, but the group didn't mind; all they wanted was to get away from the bus. Just as Danna was about to round the bus and ask the group how the drive was, the front door to the cabin opened and a short, plump, old woman with milk-chocolate colored skin stepped out with a beaming smile on her face and her curly, gray, hair tied back in a neat bun. Behind the old woman, the cabin glowed with warmth and something scurried past her near the floor; probably a pet. Leaving the door wide open, she rushed out to greet the group in nothing but an old pair of jeans, house slippers, and a yellow sweater.

"Oh, Hello everybody." She greeted with the shaky voice only grandmothers have. "Welcome to my home in the woods." She immediately wrapped her arms around Irma and squeezed her tight. "Oh, little Irma, I haven't seen you since you were little and now look at you. You have grown so much."

"It is great to see you too Sheela." Replied Irma and tried to catch her breath when she was released.

"Oh, and these must be your friends." Said Sheela as she turned her attention to the others, giving each one a similar, rib-crushing hug. "I am Sheela Downing, Daniela Downing's grandmother." She then took a step back to inspect the crowd before her, then snapped her fingers at Danny. "Daniela, why don't you introduce them to me, where are your manners?"

"Grandma' they are Irms friends- "Danny started, but Taranee interrupted.

"We can introduce ourselves, I am Taranee Cook. I doubt Danny could introduce us since we have just met; she had told us a lot about herself, but we hadn't had the chance to properly introduce ourselves."

"And I am Hay-Lyn!" Hay-Lyn piped up and bounced in place like a hyperactive child. "And these are our friends Elyon, Will, and Will's Husband Phobos. It is nice to be here and out of that bus. Is it normal that my knees are vibrating?"

Sheela chuckled and shook her head at Hay-Lyn's active nature. "You are just suffering from jetlag, child. It is nice to formally meet all of you, now please come in and have a rest while I make dinner." As she walked back to the door of the cabin, she turned back a little to warn them. "Just a heads-up, my cat has the habit of stealing shoes and I am responsible for another youngling. She is Daniela's cousin Janet and she is very sensitive."

The inside of the cabin was as cozy as the outside promised. The walls were a warm sunflower yellow with blue trim around the door frames, windows, and a blue banister for the stairs that lead up to the second floor. Immediately to the right of the front door was an open doorway that lead to a country-style dining room and to the right of the entry hallway was an open doorway to a living room with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on two of its' four walls stuffed to the brim with books, board games, card games, and other hobby activities; a large stone fireplace was occupying the third wall with a roaring fire burning inside. The fourth wall was another large window overseeing the western side of the property and the woods beyond the clearing. The room was furnished with plush sofas against the windows, arm-chairs covered in quilts, and a round table in the corner for gaming. From down the hall, where Sheela's room was, a huge fur ball came carrying the left boot or a pare. When Sheela saw this, she simply shook her head. "Katja, either put that back or bring me the second one."

When the fur-ball came closer, the group could see that it wasn't a cat, it was too large for a cat and Will pointed that out. "I have seen plenty of cats in my day, and I am pretty skippy that isn't one."

"Katja is a cat." Replied Sheela with a smile, "He is a bobcat. An old fellow and very tame. You don't have to worry about him one bit. He will lick you to death before EVER considering biting you."

"That cat has the brain of a marshmallow and the attitude of a diva." Added Danny and bent down to pet the cat's head as it walked past the group and into the living room to sit on the sofa with the boot. "Anyhoosals, I gotta go back outside and finish with the fence-post-hold-digger before the first snow falls."

With that, she rushed out before Sheela had the chance to scold Danny for leaving work like that until the last minute. Watching the big ball of fluff on the sofa, Elyon felt like petting its' head; the fur simply looked so soft. Sheela was describing the sleeping arrangements and Danny had left the cabin to do some work around the property, so she felt she could sneak away from the group for a moment. She was barely two steps into the living room when someone suddenly stepped in front of her; Elyon nearly jumped out of her skin when that happened. She had been so focused on Katja, that she hadn't noticed that there was someone already in the living room. Before Elyon stood a young girl, she was nearly the same age as her and of a similar build. Her skin was a smooth coffee color and her black hair was parted in two neat braids. Her yellow sweater and jeans made her fit in perfectly with the house. Catching herself, Elyon stepped back and smiled. "Oh hello, you must be Janet, right? My name is Elyon…"

Her voice trailed off as she saw the distant look in the girl's eyes; it was as if she was looking through Elyon and not at her. A chill ran down Elyon's spine as an eerie grin slowly spread across the girls face and her eyes finally focused on the young girl; as if snapping out of a trance. It was then that Elyon felt that she had made a mistake; there was something about the way the girl looked at her that unnerved her. She hadn't felt this scared since her brother had imprisoned her, but she tried to ignore the small voice in her head that demanded she run. For some reason, she suddenly felt cold as if the cold from the outside clung to Janet and was seeping the warmth from Elyon's body. A part of her shrank back when the girl spoke in a low, croaking voice like a sick frog. "Janet…Hello…Elyon."

With a nervous smile, Elyon reached out her hand to shake Janet's, but before Janet could make a move, Sheela appeared beside Elyon and grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away from Janet. "Oh sweetheart, I don't think that is a good idea. Janet is sensitive and often freaks-out when touched;, especially by strangers. She lets me and Danny touch her because she knows us. I don't want you or her to get hurt if she snaps. I am sorry I don't have someone your age to play with while you are here, but it is better you keep your distance from Janet."

Elyon blinked and nodded her head, suddenly feeling much safer with the old woman around. Janet's grin dropped and she shuffled to the other end of the room, where she sat down in a chair and simply stared into thin air. Elyon looked back and saw that her friends were gone; they had gone upstairs to put their luggage away and her eyes widened when she realized that she had been alone with that girl for a full minute.

That was something she didn't want to repeat.

"Now, why don't you go upstairs and exchange your wet boots for something warmer. Your brother already took your suitcase up for you." Sheela then leaned in a little closer and asked. "About your brother, why does he have his eyebrows tattooed? I didn't want to be rude and ask your brother outright."

Elyon thanked Sheela and shrugged about the question. "It is what he chose to do, I guess."

Thankfully, before Sheela could ask any further questions, to which Elyon didn't have the answers to, Will and Phobos came back down the stairs and entered the living room; with a tired smile directed at Elyon, her brother said. "Elyon, Irma wants to share a room with you, so I took your suitcase to the second room on the right upstairs. Is that alright?"

Before Elyon could reply the front door slammed open and Danny rushed in furious and ready to beat something. Ignoring the others, she walked into the living room and right up to Janet; grabbing her by the front of her shirt, she picked up the young girl and angerly shook her. "Where the hell did you put it you little brat!"

Scared by Danny's anger, Elyon ran and stood behind the tallest person in the room, which was her brother. He didn't mind and even pulled Will to stand h=behind him as well; there was something about Danny's sudden outburst that was similar to an explosion going off. However, Sheela wasn't scared or surprised; she had obviously experienced several of Danny's outbursts. Calm and calculated, she approached the two girls and pulled Danny off Janet, who simply sat back down in her chair and stared into nothingness.

"Daniela, this isn't a way to act and you know that. Now tell me what is going on?" Sheela's voice as low and clam but her grip on Danny's arms were firm.

"That little brat took my pot-hole-digger and hid it somewhere!" Danny shrieked and pointed at the girl in the chair. "She does shit like that all the time and I am sick of it."

"Are you sure Janet hid your tools? She was in the house all day and you did leave it outside all night. Maybe someone took it and hid it to teach you a lesson or someone took it to a pawn-shop." Sheela tried to reason, but Danny only shook her head.

"We live in the middle of nowhere during the dead season! I would have a greater chance of getting hit by lightning than coming across another living being out here."

"Daniela, I am telling you that Janet did not take your tool." Again, Sheela couldn't get through to Danny.

"Then who did? Zeppelins from Mars!" That was when Sheela shook her granddaughter roughly and snapped at her.

"Daniela Henrietta Downing, that is enough!" the girl's mismatched eyes snapped onto her grandmother and she shrank back a bit as if Sheela was going to hit her. Finally, she was quiet and listened. "Janet did not take your tool. Go back outside and look around where you think you left it. It can't have gone far."

The commotion had attracted the attention of the other girls, who had rushed downstairs and peered into the living room from the stairs.

"Is everything alright?" asked Taranee in a hushed tone. Sheela, with the ears of an eagle, turned and smiled at the group.

"Oh, don't worry. Daniela just misplaced her tool and thought Janet pulled a prank on her. Nothing serious." She then gently pushed Danny towards the door. Danny took this as her cue to leave and stormed towards the door before she reached it, Phobos piped up.

"Do you need any help- "before he could finish offering assistance Danny snapped back at him without turning around.

"No, you look weird so mitts off my things!" and slammed the door shut behind her. Sheela denied any silence to grow after Danny left and quietly cleared her throat.

"Please don't mind my little Daniela, she is going through a rough time and had frequent outburst like this. Please have some rest, I'll call you down when dinner is ready." She said in a sweet voice and shooed the group upstairs; the group gladly followed her command.

Upstairs, Irma quietly asked. "What happened? We heard shouting and got worried."

"Exactly what Sheela said happened," Will explained and leaned a little against her husband, she felt a little shaken up as did the rest of the group. Everything had been fine a moment ago. Sensing her distress, Phobos gently rubbed her back to comfort her.

"I don't know. Janet is weird and I would believe her to do something like that." Elyon stepped in for Danny's defense.

"Well, what tool did Janet take from Danny?" Her brother asked.

"I think Danny called it a post-hole-digger." Replied Elyon and Irma chuckled, which caught the groups attention.

"A post-hole-digger is a 70lbs piece of equipment and Janet looks like she would struggle to pick up a pack of noodles. Sheela is right, Danny probably just misplaced it. I grew up with her and know she can be a bit scatterbrained." With that, the group dismissed the outburst as something Danny caused herself and dismissed the event as they headed for their rooms. Everyone, except Elyon; she just felt it in her stomach that there was something wrong with that Janet girl, she just couldn't place her finger on what it was.


	4. Chapter 3 In the Basement

After a few hours the group, separated in their rooms, could hear Danny return and argue with her grandmother. Laying upstairs, they couldn't fully understand what the two were saying, but they knew it was about the missing tool and Danny accusing Janet; then the door slammed shut again. Danny might not be back until dinner. After a few hours, Sheela called the group down for dinner. Dinner consisted of spaghetti with tomato sauce and home-made iced tea. The pasta tasted like the box they came in and the sauce tasted like it was straight out of the can and lacked salt, but it was food and jetlag killed any appetite that might have existed. Still, the group at least attempted to eat their meal; Janet, who sat at one end of the table beside Sheela, simply poked at her serving. As they quietly ate their meal in the dining room, the front door opened and slammed shut; Danny had returned. Clearing her throat, Sheela called out, "Danny, dinner is ready. We are having pasta. Come in and have some."

Danny simply walked past the dining room with a bag in her hand. She had gone down to the local convenience store at the end of their driveway after failing to find her tool. With a flat tone, she replied, "You are the only grandmother in the world that can't cook. I got myself dried anchovies instead."

Sheela simply shook her head and continued with her meal. With the jetlag affecting everyone, time passed by in a haze and soon it was 10:00pm and outside the windows darkness hid everything from view. As the group retreated to the living room for a game or two; however, the Prince excused himself from the group to go to bed; he had been awake for the past 40 hours and had the mental capacity of drywall. Even though he wanted to, he refrained from kissing his wife before going to bed as he had overheard Irma's interrogation of Will and didn't want to fan the flames. In the living room, Danny teased Irma with the dried anchovies while the other girls, including Sheela, played a card-game and Janet returned to her seat and stared into thin air. Will remained awake for another half hour playing the card game with her friends before excusing herself and headed for bed. As she climbed the stairs, Sheela called after her from the living room. "When you are in bed, make sure the bedroom door is locked. Katja has a habit of stealing shoes and Janet sleepwalks."

Will called back that she understood and headed for bed. In their room, she found her husband lying in bed and seemingly asleep. Will only shook her head; back in Meridian, she had to drag him to bed and now he went on his own free will. After locking the door, and checking it to make sure it locked, she lay down and he immediately wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. In a dry, sleepy voice he mimicked her complaints of the past months of their marriage. "There you are…Why didn't you come to bed sooner? I almost froze to death without you."

"I do not sound like that. I thought you were tired?"

"I am tired, but I couldn't pass up on this opportunity." He replied with a smile and Will quietly chuckled at him. Bother were suffering from jetlag; they were tired, but not the kind that allowed them to sleep. With a furrowed brow, Will turned her head to her husband and asked.

"Do you think Danny and Janet are weird?"

"I haven't come across a single normal person since I met you. I am beginning to believe that normal is just a myth." He muttered in return and nuzzled against her neck. Ever since the first night they shared a bed, he enjoyed the sensation of holding her. Perhaps it was part of the poison's effects or it was because he deeply loved her. With a content smile on her face, Will looked up at the ceiling while patting her husband's arm that was wrapped around her middle and thinking that he might have a point. "We aren't normal either."

"True, there is nothing about us and our family that is normal."

"What does that supposed to mean? I thought you and I are working out quite well." He said while giving her a questioning look.

"We are, but it doesn't make us and our family normal. My mother threatens to hit you with a vase whenever I mention the idea of bringing you with me for a visit. My friend Irma wants us to start cranking out kids even though we have been married for less than a year. Lastly, you and your sister act more like strangers than siblings- "

"I haven't met her until she was 12 and Cedric managed to bring her to Meridian. There, I didn't think of being a brother, I thought about escaping Meridian. The first honest conversation we had was at The Silver Dragon and you were witness to it. We don't act like strangers to each other; we are strangers to each other." He replied before she could finish.

"Well, we are here for three days. Perhaps you two could have a conversation and get to know each other. After all, you are siblings."

"How do I initiate a conversation without it being awkward?" he asked and tightened his grip on Will. She simply turned onto her side and held him tight. Since they had gotten together, the awkwardness was their constant companion. "The only thing I know about her is that she likes her accounting class; there is no feasible way we could have a conversation about that all day."

"Well, there are a lot of games in the living room. How about tomorrow evening, when everyone is rested, we all play a game."

"Sounds like a plan."

Still unable to sleep, Will ran her fingers along the side of his neck; at this, her husband pulled back a bit and gave her a confused look.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"I can't sleep." She quipped and smiled at him.

"Your friend Irma is already demanding we have kids and your mother wants to kill me for sleeping in the same bed as you."

"And I keep telling both of them that it is none of their concern. If we have kids, it is because we planned it. Besides, no one says we have to immediately tell them."

"Your mother is defiantly going to notice if I got you pregnant. I already survived two attempts on my life. There is no way I could survive a third."

"So, you don't want any kids?"

He frowned at her and gently rubbed her back; he had thought of having children one day. Everyone has these thoughts at least once in their lives; now that he was married, the thought had come back more than once. "I want children with you someday. However, I don't want your friends and mother to get involved in it."

Will only rolled her eyes at that and kissed him. This wouldn't be the first time they had this conversation.

XXXXX

The next day, the group awoke to heavy snowfall outside their windows. It had started late the previous night and fell so heavy, that there already lay a foot outside. The sight of the snow made Danny audibly groan and shake her head; since she hadn't found her post-hole-digger, she knew she might not find it until spring and not without a significant amount of rust. Furthermore, she knew she had to shovel the driveway. Skipping the awful breakfast her grandmother was cooking, she put on her jacket and a scarf before leaving the cabin; letting the door slam shut.

Of the group, Elyon was the first to awake and regretted it immediately after trying Sheela's poor excuse for oatmeal. It clumpy and tasted burnt, but she kept quiet and ate her serving before excusing herself to the living room. To her delight, Janet was nowhere in sight and Katja lay on the sofa that stood against the windows. His tan and black patterned fur seemed warm and inviting for petting. Without hesitation, Elyon sat down on the sofa beside the cat and began to pet him; his fur was as soft as it looked. Slowly, every member of the group awoke and suffered through Sheela's cooking before returning to the living room to either sit by the warm fire or play a game. It was snowing too much to go outside and Irma warned them to stay out of Danny's way when she is working.

The last to wake up and come to the living room was the prince; despite the extra sleep and watery coffee, he wasn't fully awake. When he walked into the living room, he wondered why he had done that; he couldn't remember; he mentally smacked himself and thought: _Brain, work. I need you to function._

Lucky for him, his wife had more of a morning mind and walked up to him for a hug despite having Irma in the same room. This wasn't a hug of affection; she had been married to him for long enough to know when his mind drew a blank and needed help remembering something; this didn't happen often, but usually occurred when he hadn't had enough sleep. When she hugged him, Will whispered in a low voice, "You were going to a game with your sister today, remember?"

"Oh, right. Thank you." Was his whispered reply and gently patted her back before turning his attention to Elyon, who was busy petting a loudly purring Katja. That old cat was undoubtedly enjoying the attention to the point he started to drool. He cleared his throat to catch the girl's attention. "Elyon, would you care to join me for a game?"

Elyon turned to her brother a little surprised and abandoned petting Katja, who gave her a disappointing look and jumped off the sofa when she petting session was over. As he waltzed out of the living room he rubbed against Taranee and Hay-Lyn, who were sitting in front of the fireplace to keep their feet warm, before disappearing somewhere in the cabin. Hesitantly, Elyon stood up from the sofa, she had hoped for a moment like this but was unsure of what to do. "Umm…sure, what game did you have in mind?"

"I'll leave that up to you." He replied and Elyon moved to the shelf with the games. All the boxes were worn with age and faded; some were patched with duct tape and had the name of the game written on it in sharpie. After a moment, she picked on at random and showed it to her brother as if it were a coat she wanted his opinion on. "How about Chutes and ladders?"

"I have never heard of it, but why not." The two siblings sat at the circular table and Elyon set up the game while explaining it to her tired brother. Things were calm in the room and Will allowed herself to sit on the sofa beside Irma, who was reading a weathered book, to relax and enjoy the sight of her friends and family enjoying their first day of this vacation. Perhaps normal wasn't a myth.

Several hours later, with the girls switching between chatting and lounging and the siblings trying to play their game, Danny returned with a slam of the door. Letting her snow-covered jacket fall to the floor, she leaned against the doorframe of the living room and stared at the group; despite using the bus to clear the path, she had still gotten covered with snow, which now lay two feet deep outside the cabin. With her arms crossed, she smirked and asked, "So what have you guys been up to?"

"We have been lazing around the fire while listening to those to play chutes and ladders." Replied Irma as she stretched out on the carpet by the fire and pointed at the siblings. Elyon had attempted to explain the game to her brother while they played, but she wasn't good at it and Phobos didn't have the mindset to follow his sister's scattered attempts to teach. Danny simply rolled her eyes and groaned.

"You guys don't just look weird but are boring as well." This insult went unrecognized by the group, so she changed gears and motioned Irma to follow her. "Irms, go to the basement and get me a package of frozen soup veggies. I am not planning on suffering through more of grandma's cooking."

"Are there spiders in the basement?"

"No, I RADE-bombed that place last week. There is nothing living in that basement. Now go and get the veggies. I don't trust your friends with the freezer and neither do I trust grandma." With that, she clicked her tongue and Irma sprang up to follow Danny's instructions. When Irma was out of the room, Hay-Lyn dared to shoot Danny an annoyed glare.

"Danny, why are you always so angry?"

"I am not angry pigtails. I am just dead inside and stopped caring about others feeling. It has served me well throughout the years and I suggest you keep your comments to yourself before I make you eat more of grandma's oatmeal."

In the basement, Irma shoveled through the chest freezer for something that resembled vegetables. None of the bags were labeled and the single lightbulb in the center of the room barely light the room. As she sorted through the freezer burnt bags, trying to figure out if the one she was holding held soup vegetable or spinach, Irma heard something on the other side of the basement. The basement was split into two rooms, one for storage and one containing the boiler and heater. The latter one was unfinished and shrouded in darkness. Irma looked over her shoulder at the dark room but couldn't see anything; shrugging it off as the cabin settling or the pipes adjusting to the temperatures, Irma returned her attention to the two bags in her hand.

That was when she registered a strange smell that hadn't been there before; it was a mixture of damp earth, mildew, and rotting fruit. It started as a light whiff and grew stronger by the second. As the smell grew, the temperature dropped to the point Irma could see her own breath. Her nerves were yelling at her to get out, but her knees were frozen in place. Her stomach sank when she heard another sound coming from the unfinished room behind her; it sounded like a low, guttural, groan of an injured animal, but something in her mind told Irma it wasn't an animal. She wondered what she should do as the stares were half-way between her and the unfinished part. Her hands instinctively clenched down on the frozen bags in her hands as she contemplated using them as weapons. Then, there came another sound, but it wasn't a groan; it sounded like a hushed whisper with a cricket undertone repeating something that sounded like a chant.

_"irmsirmsirmsirmsirms"_

Her eyes widened in horror as she realized it was her name that was being whispered on repeat. That was when she found her knees and made a mad dash for the stares; however, the young woman couldn't resist taking a glance at the unfinished basement doorway. She let out a shrill cry or panic when she saw two white, glowing orbs, near the ground as if the thing was crouching down ready to pounce. In a panic, Irma threw one of the frozen bags at the thing and dashed up the stairs on all fours fully expecting the thing to grab onto her ankle. Fueled by fear, she reached the top of the stairs within seconds and slammed the door shut behind her; leaning against it for extra measure.

Her friends immediately rushed into the kitchen where the door to the basement was to find Irma close to tears. Will immediately pulled Irma from the door and held her tight. Between gasping sobs, Irma tried to explain what she saw. "There is something in the basement…It knew my name…it…it"

While Taranee and Hay-Lyn joined Will in the effort to calm down a sobbing Irma, Danny and Phobos exchanged a questioning look while Elyon hung back from the group, worried but unsure of what to do. The commotion was cut short by a chuckle coming from behind Elyon. It was Sheela, who had rushed from her bedroom the moment she heard the scream from the basement. With her hands on her hips, she shook her head and smiled. "Did Katja scare you that bad?"

Irma looked up at Sheela in shock and surprise, "That wasn't Katja, that thing could speak. It said my name."

"Did it?" Sheela raised an eyebrow at Irma and asked again. "Did it really say your name?"

"Well…" Irma thought for a moment and allowed her nerves to calm down. "It said Irms."

"Hmm…" Sheela kept her eyebrow raised and gently patted Irma on her shaking shoulder. "You know, I often think Katja says my name and then I realize it is just another sound a bobcat makes." With growing curiosity, the prince approached the door to the basement and was about to turn the knob when Sheela turned and smiled at him. "I don't think that is a good idea. Irma just scared the living daylight out of old Katja. Trust me, I raised that boy from a kitten, and nothing is worse to handle than a spooked bobcat." She then turned her attention to the rest of the group. "I suggest we all go to the living room and help Irma relax by the fire while Danny cooks dinner."

Unsure of what to do, the group sided with Sheela and guided Irma back to the living room while Danny took the bag of frozen vegetable on the floor of the kitchen and headed for the stove. Still hanging back, Elyon stopped in the hallway when she noticed something on the top of the stairs leading to the second floor. Sitting there, casually looking down at her with sleepy eyes was Katja.


	5. Chapter 4 Janet

After several tense minutes, Irma calmed down and simply sat in front of the fire with a blanket hanging from her shoulders. Sheela kept telling her that it was only Katja in the basement that had scared her; still, Irma was shaken and simply sought out the comfort of the fire. It was then that Danny came out from the kitchen and leaned against the door-frame. "Hey Irms, you gonna be okay?"

Irma didn't say anything but nodded her head as Hay-Lyn cradled her in her arms. Danny was going to add another comment when Janet entered the room from the hallway. Elyon, who was standing near the middle of the room, quickly moved to sit beside Will and her brother on the sofa at the other side of the room. There was something about Janet the frightened her; she was more afraid of Janet then her brother who had captured her and drained her of some of her powers despite Janet never having done anything to her. Perhaps it was an instinct that told her to keep clear of that girl. Thankfully, her brother put an arm around her shoulders and gently rubbed her shoulder; he too felt strange about that girl and understood his sister's unease. He didn't have to talk to the girl to know he didn't like her.

Janet didn't care, she never cared. Entering the room, she turned around, jumped, grabbed hold of the door-frame, and hoisted herself up into a small cubby-hole above the door. No one had paid enough attention to the room to notice that little storage space and Sheela simply shrugged. "Yeah, I use that space during the summer to store blankets because keeping them in the attic would make them smell. That is her comfort space. Don't worry, she has never hurt herself."

"What exactly is up with Janet?" Asked Taranee as she stared up at the cubbyhole where Janet was curled-up like a cat and stared back at the fire-witch.

"Everything is." Replied Danny before Sheela could open her mouth. "I am not even sure she is related to us." She then entered the living room and faced the strange girl above the door. Janet stared back at Danny and stuck her tongue out, waving the tip at her like a snake would to taste its' surrounding. "Did you use to lick sockets when you were little?" in response, Janet broke eye-contact with Taranee to glare at Danny and growl. Danny, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the girl simply responded with, "I don't like you either, you little weirdo." Then she left the room and went to get a hunting gun out of the closet in the hallway. "I am going to check my traps. Don't worry, I'll be back before dusk. The soup is on the stove; just make sure you guys don't smell something burning."

"Daniella, I don't think you should go out today." Said Sheela in a sing-song voice but Danny was already out the door.

"Why shouldn't Danny go out? It is still daylight, it stopped snowing, and she is armed." Asked Taranee and Sheela simply smiled. Everything weird that was going on was normal to her.

"There is a bear suffering from mange running through the woods and he has been sighted a lot lately. Police want citizens to call the moment he is spotted since he has started being violent."

"Then, aren't you afraid for Danny's safety?" Asked Hay-Lyn with her brows furrowed in concern, but Sheela simply shook her head.

"That girl can easily hold her own. Her older sister Ella taught her self-defense. Plus, she knows how to use a gun. I am more afraid that she will get herself caught in one of her own traps than that she gets attacked by a bear."

Still uncomfortable and unable to keep her eyes of Janet, Elyon leaned a little closer to her brother and whispered so only he could hear. "These people are weird."

In response, her brother leaned a little closer and whispered. "My theory is that normal is just a myth."

On the other side of the room, where two arm-chairs stood, Taranee was questioning Sheela about Danny's upbringing. She was curious about that angry girl that didn't know how to properly shut doors in a way that wouldn't make the house shake. "Why isn't she with her older siblings or why aren't they here? Danny just lost her mother; wouldn't it be better for the family to stick together?"

"Tony, Ella, Samuel, Rick, and Mike are too busy to take care of Daniella and her younger siblings Gwen and Jack. They were hardly around to raise Daniella and I have my hands full with this cabin and Janet. She is only staying with me until we can reach her uncle Roger; then she and her younger siblings will move to Heatherfield." Replied Sheela as she began to knit a scarf.

"What do her siblings do that they can't take care of Danny or see her?" Both of Taranee's parents were busy, but the always made sure to have dinner with her. To the young fire-witch, Danny's family situation seemed alien.

"We have many jobs and do many things in our family. Some of which can be dangerous for younger folks like Daniella. Mike works in a junk-yard; could you imagine her in such surrounding? She would get tetanus within the first three days. Here, she is a lot safer and she has someone to keep an eye on her. She had always had attitude issues, but I think she got that from her mother." Replied Sheela in a casual tone; she had told this excuse several times to the point it was well rehearsed.

The individual conversations were suddenly interrupted by Hay-Lyn, who shot up from her place on the carpet beside Irma; to her it the room was simply too quiet, and Irma needed more distraction to calm down. "Hey everyone, how about we play a card game? I saw TOP Animal on the shelf."

No one objected even Taranee who quickly realized that learning about Danny was more of a headache than it was worth. The only one who hesitated was the prince, who took the opportunity to take a jab at his sister in a harmless way. "Could you explain the game better than Elyon can explain Chutes and Ladders?"

This earned him an annoyed look from his sister. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was just messing with her. As the group moved to the round table in the corner, Taranee noted how Janet's eyes followed her through the room. Like the Escanor siblings, something about that girl unnerved her and as she took her seat and took her cards, she felt the girl's eyes burning into her back. After a few minutes of enduring this, Taranee leaned closer to Sheela, who sat next to her and asked. "Why is Janet looking at me?"

Sheela only shrugged, but the Prince had to correct the fire-witch. "She isn't staring at you. She is staring at your glasses."

Confused, Taranee furrowed her brow at Phobos. "How can you tell?"

"It is something you learn to spot when growing up around entitled royals and officials. Test it if you do not believe me." He explained and Taranee tested it. Turning around in her seat, Taranee took off her glasses and slowly moved them an arm's length away. As expected, Janet's eyes followed the object; Irma gasped a little in surprise when she realized what exactly had caught the strange girl's interest.

"Your glasses are reflecting the glow of the fire. She is attracted to the shine."

"Oh yeah, she likes shiny things. I suggest you keep an eye on them, now that she has spotted them." Added Sheela and returned her attention to the card game. Taranee put her glasses back on and tried to concentrate on the cards in her hand while trying to ignore the intense glare from the girl above the door.

The group managed to play three rounds of the game before they heard something from outside of the cabin. From where they sat at the round table, they couldn't tell if it was a scream or a strange bird call. However, Sheela knew what it was and sat up. She was about to rush to the front door when it burst open and Danny ran it, skidding on the wooden floor with her wet boots and nearly crashing into the banister of the staircase. She was pale, shivering, her eyes were wide in horror, and she was jabbering incoherently. Hearing the ruckus, Janet leaned over the edge of the cubby-hole and peered out into the hallway at Danny with curiosity in her eyes. Sheela got up and quickly shut the front door before the cold outside could creep into the warm cabin, while Irma was the first to reach the incoherent mess that her cousin had become.

As the rest of the group rushed towards the commotion, Janet took the opportunity and attempted to reach for the shiny glasses as Taranee rushed past; however, she was too slow and grabbed Elyon instead. Aside from her brother, no one noticed as all attention was on Danny. Before Elyon could react to being grabbed, her brother took a book from the bookshelf beside the doorway and hit Janet with the spine of the book. Janet quickly and silently pulled her hand back and retreated deeper into the cubby hole with a low growl. Elyon looked back at her brother, but he simply pointed at Danny; she needed the attention.

Danny tried to stifle her sobs and pointed at the door. "Th-Th-There-There is something in the w-w-woods." She tried to get out and nearly broke down in tears. Her whole being shook with fear and she didn't know how to explain what she saw. She simply felt like hiding.

"Oh, you mean the mangy bear?" asked Sheela in a casual tone. "I told you it wasn't a good idea to head into the woods. Mangy bears have lost their mind and don't care about the snow."

"That was no fucking bear." Responded Danny, finally having caught her breath. "That thing was tall and thin, and…and it didn't have fur…it was just skin…it looked so pale…"

"You are explaining the bear. Mangy bears lose their fur and their skin are rather pale. A furless bear looks really strange if you do not know what to expect." Countered Sheela and gently patted Danny's shoulder. "I'll call the sheriff and he will take care of it. How about you drink scotch and lay down for a while. You look as pale as a ghost."

Irma just looked at Sheela completely dumbfounded. How could she be so calm about all this? Her granddaughter just burst into the house as if the devil was upon her and she just acted as if it were a regular Tuesday. Sheela, with a smile on her old, thin, lips took hold of Danny by the shoulder and lead her back into the kitchen. There, Sheela poured the shaken girl a small scotch and dialed the police from the landline hanging beside the basement door. In a chipper tone, she spoke. "Hello, this is Sheela Downing…Oh hello, Karen…Yes, I am doing great and you?... That is great, hey can you tell Bill to take a look in the woods around my property? My granddaughter spotted the mangy bear…No, it didn't attack her; she is just a bit shaken up…Yeah, she had never seen a mangy bear…"

As this casual conversation continued, something about it caught the Prince's attention; it was something about the pauses that seemed fake. Analyzing the situation, his eyes caught the cable connecting the base of the phone to the house; carefully he followed the old, wall colored, cable until it reached the doorframe leading to the dining room. That was when it stopped. It didn't go into the wall, wrap around the frame, or go over it; it simply stopped. However, he couldn't prove if the phone didn't work, since he was unfamiliar with the technology. After a good 4 minutes, Sheela hung up and smiled at the group. "Bill, the sheriff, is gonna see if he can shoot that mangy bear."

She then turned to her granddaughter and gave her a half-hearted hug. "Don't worry Daniella. That pesky thing won't scare you anymore. Bill is a good hunter and after she shoots it, you can take a long look at it to see that there is nothing to be afraid of. Now, how about to lay down for a while until dinner?"

Danny silently nodded, looking as though she had run a marathon, finished her glass, and headed upstairs. This time, she didn't slam any doors. With a gentle smile, Sheela suggested that they returned to their game and gently ushered the group out; however, Phobos took hold of Will's shoulder to hold her back. Will gave her husband a questioning look but didn't say anything when she saw the worry on his face. Elyon hung back as well when she saw that. In a hushed tone, he whispered to Will. "I doubt Sheela actually called anyone. Could you check the phone?"

At first, Will wasn't sure what he means, but then he pointed at the cable and her face went pale. Still, she gave Sheela the benefit of a doubt and took the phone off the handle. As expected, there wasn't any sound coming from the device. With a silent gasp, she turned to her husband. "The phone is dead. Sheela lied-"

"That isn't the only thing that Sheela lied about." Interrupted Elyon and walked up to her brother and sister-in-law. "Earlier, she said that it was Katja that scared Irma in the basement but Katja was nowhere near the basement. I saw him on the second floor."

At this, a chill ran down Will's back and she held her arms; Phobos gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. For the first time in a long while, he was unsure of what to do; he was in a strange place with only a simple gravel road connecting them to civilization. He could try to use magic and transport everyone back to Heatherfield, but how was he going to explain this to Danny and Sheela? Furthermore, he suspected that the council kept an eye on him, and he didn't want to risk endangering his marriage to Will; he loved her too much to lose her now. "Should we tell the others?"

"No," Will replied and pulled Elyon a little closer so she could whisper to both her and Phobos without needing to fear that Sheela would hear them. "I agree that something is very wrong here, but we can't cause a panic. No doubt Irma would scream bloody murder, and everything would devolve into chaos from there. Let's keep an eye on things while we are here. It is only two days, so we should be able to do just fine as long as we avoid Janet and Sheela. I don't think Danny is in on the weirdness."

This the siblings could agree to, especially Elyon since she knew how easily Irma was spooked. With that, they tried to return to the living room with the exception of Elyon who excused herself to check-up on Danny; she didn't want to risk Janet grabbing at her again. Will and Phobos understood and the young girl rushed up the stairs. She knew where Danny's room was since it was the only one where sound was coming from; through the closed door, she could hear Journey blasting at full volume. At first, Elyon wasn't even sure Danny heard her knocking but before she could try again, the angry teen opened the door. "Hey Eliot, what is up?"

"I just wanted to see if you are alright or need anything?" as she spoke, Elyon could see past Danny and into her room. It was tiny; just big enough for a cabin bed, drawer, and a shelf that was stuffed with books, music cassettes, and metals. Judging by their shape, they were gymnastics awards. Danny noticed this and stepped out into the hallways, closing the door behind her.

"I don't need anything kiddo. Grandma was right, I did just overreact to a sick bear." Replied Danny and leaned against her door with a tired smile. "Anything I could help you with?"

At this, Elyon began to fiddle with her fingers; she knew Danny had siblings that she barely saw and wondered if she knew how to keep up a good relationship with them. "Um…well…I guess I have a question…"

"Is it about that guy you hide behind?" Danny smirked, "Isn't he a bit too old for you?...oh what is his name again?... Philip?"

At this, Elyon's face turned beet-red and starred at Danny in horror. She had tried to get along with him, not make it look like she was flirting with him. "His name is Phobos and he is my brother."

"Yikes, 'could have fooled me." Replied Danny in a joking manner. "The way you two act, it looks more like strangers than siblings."

"Well, we didn't grow up together, so we practically are strangers. However, he is married to my best friend and I think it is best that I try to get along with him."

"Why isn't he initiating the conversation? He is the adult." Asked Danny; she didn't ask about why they hadn't grown up together as she, herself, hadn't really known her own siblings.

"He did in the bus, but then you made that joke about Accounting." Responded Elyon, a little annoyed at Danny's attitude.

"Oh," it was seemingly the first time that Danny realized she had messed up. "Sorry about that. So, what is it you want to know?" she smiled and tried to brush past that awkward moment.

"Well…You barely see your siblings. How do you get along with them?"

"I don't." At this Elyon looked at the teenager in shock and surprise. Seeing this, Danny knew she had to explain. "Look, I was raised by them, but I hardly know them because I hardly spent any time with them. They took shifts raising be to do their jobs. I am practically in the same boat as you in that case." She then rubbed the back of her neck and stared at the floor. She hated being useless in situations like this. However, she grew up to be honest. "Honestly, on some days, I would come home to nothing but a can of soup on the stove."

"Oh…" was all Elyon could think of to say. She had desperately hoped Danny could help her but, of course, she wouldn't have such luck. Seeing Elyon's sulking expression, Danny smiled and playfully patted her arm.

"Ay, cheery up Elyot. You are doing a good job and, even though he looks like a weirdo, he seems alright." This made Elyon smile up at Danny.

"Thanks, Danny…and my name is Elyon."

XXXXX

Soon it was dinner-time, which consisted of the simple vegetable soup Danny had made earlier. The soup was a little salty but still leagues better than anything Sheela had cooked. The old woman attempted to engage the group in a simple conversation, but no one felt like having a cheerful talk. They had two major frights in less than a day and everyone's nerves were fried, so the group mostly sat in silence. Again, Janet only pocked at her food instead of eating it. Will was a little wary of Janet at this point. Like everyone else, she was feeling uneasy around that girl; though, she was unsure how much of that uneasy feeling came from the girl and how much was from the previous weeks of feeling off. Still, Will couldn't help but note how she hadn't seen Janet eat a single thing she had arrived.

After dinner, the group retired to their respective rooms despite Sheela's attempt to guide them back to the library to complete their card game; they had gone through almost every category in the game except Kill Count, but the group unanimously denied. Everyone was tired and simply wanted the day to be over. Laying in bed beside her husband, Will held her stomach and stared up at the ceiling.

"Is everything alright, Wilhelmina?" Phobos asked and turned onto his side to look at his wife. "You look a little pale."

"This day didn't quite pan out the way it should have. Something is really strange, and I can't get the thought out of my head that Sheela is hiding something from us." Replied Will and pulled her husband's arm around her for comfort. "To be honest, I can't wait for this vacation to be over. I would rather have tea with Lord Cedric than spend another minute here."

"I understand and agree that this place is weird. If I knew we could get away with it; I would try to teleport us all out of here. However, I get the feeling that wouldn't go over well with the council." Will gave her husband a questioning look.

"Since when do you care what the council thinks of you?"

"I don't, but I don't want to risk our marriage by accident. I know it is difficult to believe, but I enjoy being married to you." He replied and tightened his hold on her. Will simply smiled and rubbed the arm around her.

"Aw, did I melt the ice around this wicked prince's heart?" she said coyly and give him a small kiss on the forehead. She knew he was just trying to lift her mood with his honest comment. The prince chuckled and returned the kiss; of all the ways he could have lived with his condition, he felt he had made the right decision. Their peaceful moment was crushed when, from the hallway, they heard a blood-curdling scream.

Immediately, Will bolted up and rushed out the door quickly followed by her husband, who had stumbled over a pair of boots in the dark. In the dark hallway, dimly light by the kitchen light from downstairs, Will ran into Taranee and Hay-Lyn who were running from their room like a murderer was after them. Irma and Elyon came running from their room after having heard the commotion and so did Danny; everyone dressed in their pajamas and nightgowns. Will grabbed hold of her friends and tried to get something out of them, but the two could hardly get a coherent sentence out in their panic. However, one word stuck out. Janet.

"She was leaning over me!" shrieked Taranee and began sobbing in Will's arms. "She starred right at me…Her eyes…oh God her eyes!"

"I am so sorry!" Hay-Lyn sobbed and hung onto Taranee, which added more weight for Will to hold. "I forgot to lock the door!"

While Will was busy consulting her terrified friends, and Irma was trying to keep Danny and Elyon out of the way, Phobos saw Janet slowly walk out of the room the girls had dashed from. If it weren't for the light of the kitchen, he couldn't have noticed the shine of Taranee's glasses in her hands. At this point, he was more fed up with Janet than scared of her and quickly walked past the girls to grab hold of Janet's shoulder. "Hey, you can't take those."

Without hesitation, Janet spun around and attempted to bite the hand on her shoulder. Luckily, Phobos was faster and pulled his hand away just in time. As the two stared at each other, Janet let out a low growl, similar to that of a dog protecting its' property. The Prince was sure the girl would have pounced on him and bit him if it weren't for Sheela, who came barging up the stairs. "What in tarnation is going on here?"

It took her only a second to see the sobbing girls, the open bedroom door, and Janet with the glasses in her hands to realize what had happened. With a heavy sigh, she shook her head and turned her attention to the girls. "This is why I asked all of you to keep your doors locked at night." She then turned her sour glare to Janet. "Janet, give the girl her glasses back."

Janet didn't follow her first command but complied when Sheela pointed at Taranee and repeated her order. "I said give the girl her glasses back. You do not need them." With an annoyed growl, Janet held out her hand holding the glasses for Taranee to take. The frightened fire-witch shook like a leaf but took them back anyway while trying to keep as much distance between her and the girl as possible. Still annoyed that her warning wasn't being heeded, she led an empty-handed Janet back downstairs. "Sorry for this girls. I did warn all of you about Janet's night wandering. Now go back to bed. See all of you in the morning."


	6. Chapter 5 Snowball Fight

The next day, the group remained tired and quiet despite Danny having made pancakes. It was then that Will discovered that her husband, though he thanked Danny and ate his plate, preferred bitter things over sweets. Taranee was still jumpy and kept as far a distance as possible while trying to suppress one yawn after another. Hay-Lyn felt awful for forgetting to lock the door and offered to stand guard while Taranee took a nap to catch up on her sleep; which Taranee gladly accepted. Right after breakfast, the young fire-witch excused herself to her room for a nap; she hadn't slept a single minute after finding Janet staring down at her in the dark.

The others hadn't fared much better than Taranee.

Hay-Lyn had attempted to stay up with Taranee but fell asleep near the early hours of dawn. Elyon kept waking up at the slightest sound of the cabin, which also included Irma's chainsaw-like snores. Irma cheated; she had secretly taken a sleeping pill. She had taken some with her when she knew Danny would be at the cabin and remembered how Danny enjoyed blasting music late at night, which she still did. Lastly, Will only managed to get some sleep because her husband had moved the dresser in front of the door to block it. Still, it had been an uneasy night for all involved. Furthermore, no one wanted to stay in the cabin any longer, but no one wanted to insult Sheela and abandon Danny. They could tell that Danny, even though she hid it well, was scared to be at the cabin with Janet and Sheela. In the past two days, she had gotten quieter and jumpier. Luckily, it had stopped snowing and Danny suggested everyone, who was awake enough, get out and enjoy the winter weather before it got too cold to step foot outside. Except for Taranee and Hay-Lyn, everyone agreed and got their coats while Sheela took Janet to the living room to sit on the sofa and pet the strange child's head.

The winter air outside was cool, crisp, and carried a hint of charcoal that winter always carried with it. Irma, despite the previous day's events, was glad to stretch her legs and immediately jumped into the white, fluffy, snow. Will was more than happy to help her friend gather the snow for a family of snowmen. Without Hesitation, she began to gather snow to roll it into snowmen. Danny was more restrained; she simply kicked at the snow and wondered around to hear the snow crumple under her feet. Phobos wasn't much for fun in the snow, he preferred leaning against the wooden railing of the porch and watching his wife enjoy her time in the snow. Elyon wasn't sure what she wanted to do. Part of her wanted to join her friends in the snow but, at the same time, she didn't want to leave her brother alone. She still felts awkward around him and didn't know what to say or do when near him. Leaning against the railing beside her brother, she looked at her friends having fun.

"Don't you want to join them in the fun?" Phobos asked his sister with a raised eyebrow.

"Wouldn't you be left out? You are just standing here, doing nothing."

"What do you mean? I am watching my wife and her friends building snowmen. I don't really have the energy for much else because of last night." He replied and kept his eyes on Will, who was bending over to help Irma pick up a ball of snow for the snowman's torso.

"I have a question." Said Elyon and turned to face her brother. He, however, kept his eyes on Will.

"I have an answer." Was his reply.

"I heard that you were poisoned and are therefore bound to Will…but why did you choose to marry her? Do you really love her?"

"Do you really want an honest answer to that?" he asked, finally taking his eyes off Will to look at his sister.

"Well…Will is my friend and she helped save me from you. So, naturally, I want to make sure she is happy."

"In that case, you are six months late for that concern. Aside from that, I work too much, she hasn't voiced many complaints about being married to me."

"Alright, but do you really love her?"

"I guess I do. I mean, surely the initial attraction was because of the poison. If it hadn't been for the poison, I wouldn't have listened to her, which was when I fully fell for her. Sure, the only reason I fell for her was because of the poison, but I can't tell how much of my affection for her is because of the poison and how much is genuine. Does that ease your worries?" he asked and attempted to smile at his sister, this time, she kept her eyes set on her friends as she mauled over his response in her head.

Taking the opportunity of the quiet moment, Phobos gathered some snow from the porch railing into a tight ball and threw it at Will, who had her back turned towards the siblings. As expected, the snowball hit Will square in the back; for a moment she froze in place before turning her head and glaring at the two blonds. No one starts a snowball fight with her. Elyon was too stunned to react fast enough, which Phobos expected and immediately pointed the finger at his sister with a smile.

"Oh, you really messed up." Said Will in a low tone, trying to be menacing, while forming a snowball and chucking it at Elyon. The princess noticed too late that her brother had framed her and was unable to block the attack; the snowball hitting her right in the face. The prince's chuckle at his sister's plight was short lived since Will threw another snowball that hit him; also, in the face. "Just for good measure!"

When Irma saw the two meridian royals with snow-covered faces she burst out laughing; nearly falling over into the snow. That stopped when, she too, was hit by a snowball. To Will, there were no alliances in a snowball fight. Realizing this, Irma turned to the royal siblings while Will was forming another snowball with comedic horror and shouted. "Run! There is a mad queen on the lose!"

Elyon did not need to be told twice. With a shriek, she jumped over the railing and made a mad dash to run around the cabin followed by Irma. Phobos simply chuckled and watched his wife hurl one snowball after another at her friends. Of course, Will took advantage of the easy target and managed to hit her husband a few more times and he took the assault; it was worth the chaos he had started. He watched the girls circle the cabin twice before returning inside the cabin, he had gotten cold enough. While he went inside, Will chased the girls around the cabin for the third time; for Will, chasing her friends while hurling snowballs was easy since she joined the swimming team. For her, using her arms and legs separately yet in sync was as easy as breathing.

However, when Irma and Elyon rounded the corner at the west side of the cabin, they realized the onslaught of snowballs had suddenly stopped. When the turned to look back, they saw that Will wasn't chasing them anymore. At first, they were hesitant, thinking it was a trap but when Will didn't show herself for a solid minute, they got concerned and quietly headed back behind the cabin. They were shocked by what they found.

With on hand against the cabin to support herself, Will was bent over throwing-up. Without hesitation, Irma rushed to her friend's side and held her up by the arms while patting her back. "Will, are you alright? Are you sick?"

"No..." Will replied with a gasp and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand while trying to catch her breath. "I am fine."

"You just puked your guts out into the snow. You are not fine." Responded Irma and kept patting Will's back. "You need to lay down. Should we take you to a doctor?"

"No, Irma I am alright." Will finally caught her breath. "I just overdid it. I should have waited a bit after breakfast to chase you guys. Even my coach warned me about heavy exercise after meals. I will be fine. I just need a moment to catch my breath."

"Are you sure?" Irma still wasn't convinced. "We can ask Danny to drive us to a local clinic. Maybe you got food poisoning from Sheela's cooking or perhaps you got a stomach bug…" then she leaned closer so Elyon couldn't hear. "Or perhaps you are pregnant?"

At this, Will shot her friend an annoyed and angered look. "You are beginning to sound like my mother." She then dropped her voice. "I am not pregnant. Get the idea of me having kids out of your head. there is nothing going on between Phobos and I; we share a bed and that is it. I told you that you would be the first to know if Phobos and I ever planned on having kids."

Finally standing upright on her shaking knees, Will was lead back to the front porch to take a seat by her friend while Elyon silently followed. The young princess didn't know what to make of the scene she had just seen. Everything was fine a moment ago.

Meanwhile, Danny had returned inside the cabin the moment she saw the snowball fight start; she had no intentions on getting caught in the middle of it; especially since she had only gone outside to look for her post-hole-digger, which she still hadn't found. Inside, she noticed her grandmother wasn't in the living room anymore and that the hallway bathroom light was on. At least Sheela was out of the way. Janet was nowhere to be seen. Turning to the prince in the hallway, who was taking off his snow-covered jacket, Danny cleared her throat to catch his attention. "Hey, I was planning on making meatloaf for dinner this evening and I was going to start right away. Could you get the big, red, cookbook from the library and bring it to me in the kitchen? It is the one on the top shelf; you look tall enough to reach it."

Before Phobos could object, Danny went for the kitchen; clearly, it wasn't a request, but a command. The Prince only shrugged his shoulders; might as well be a little useful. He didn't really like being talked down to the way Danny did, but he was a guest and knew he should remain on his best behavior. In the living room, he quickly spotted the book but also saw that it was just out of reach. Luckily, he spotted a footstool under the gaming table and used it to reach the book; however, the moment his fingertips touched the book's spine he felt that there was something wrong. His body froze and a chill ran down his spine as the scent of rotting fruit hit his nose; when his ears registered a low growl, he turned to face the direction it came from only to come face to face with Janet. He was so preoccupied to get the book, that he hadn't kept an eye out for her; he should have considered that Janet would be resting in her favorite cubby-hole.

Janet's eyes seemed to glow with malicious intent, and she bared her teeth at the Prince; she remembered how he had hit her with a book the previous day and didn't like the view of him reaching for another one. Subconsciously, Phobos's hand grabbed hold of the book while his eyes were locked in a staring contest with the strange girl. Janet saw this and shot her hand out at the Prince; her sharp nails coming short inches of his arm. The Prince, in response, instinctively took a step back; since he was still standing on the small stool, he stepped into thin air and crashed onto the hard floor.

Naturally, the loud thud caught the attention of everyone awake in and around the cabin so, quickly, a small crowd gathered at the doorway to the living room. Will stifled a gasp when she saw her husband on the floor and Janet leaning down from the cubby-hole like a human python. The Prince considered throwing the book at the girl, but Danny stepped between the two and glared angerly at Janet. "Janet, you little psycho! Stop trying to attack people!"

Seemingly frightened by Danny's outburst, Janet retreated back into the cubby-hole and growled. Will immediately rushed to her husband's side and helped him onto his feet. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine. Janet just startled me. I should have known she would appear out of nowhere." He replied and attempted to stand on his own feel; which was when a sharp pain shot through his right knee. When he had fallen, he naturally attempted to catch himself and had put all his weight on the knee, which took the whole impact. It wasn't broken or twisted, but it had certainly received some trauma not too dissimilar to that a foot would suffer from when jumping from unsafe heights. With a pained hiss, he took his weight off the knee and tried to shake the stinging sensation away.

"Well…maybe not 100% fine, but it is nothing to worry about." He then saw how pale his wife was. He knew it was more than just her worried over him. "Wilhelmina, are you alright? You look pale."

"Huh?" Will wasn't paying attention; she was distracted by both her husband's injury and Danny's berating of Janet, who simply looked down at the group from her cubby-hole. Unluckily for her, Irma was paying attention.

"Will got sick outside!" this earned her an annoyed look from Will, who didn't want her husband needlessly concerned about her wellbeing. If she thought it important, she would have told him.

"You got sick?" he asked and took a closer look at his wife. He could tell she had thrown-up, that is was pale, and a little shaky but otherwise she appeared fine. He couldn't see or feel signs of a fever; he hoped it was just a stomach bug.

"I am fine, just overdid the running a bit."

From the doorway, Elyon watched the exchanged between Will and her brother unsure of what to think. She had always wanted a sibling and she held some respect towards her brother, but she still remembered everything that had happened less than a year ago. Each time she looked at her brother, she remembered how he had her kidnapped, manipulated her, drained her of her powers, and kept her prisoner. She had tried to keep that in the past; she tried to tell herself that he was different back then, but she wasn't sure if she could completely forgive everything. She still hardly knew anything about him.

Finally, Sheela arrived at the doorway with a damp towel on her head. With her eyes closed, she groaned at Danny's shrill voice. "Daniella, please keep it down. I am having a migraine and don't need this mess with it. What is even going on?"

"That brat just tried to attack someone!" Danny shouted and pointed at Janet. "Why isn't she in an asylum yet?"

"Daniella, please stop shouting. I have a migraine and we have two girls upstairs sleeping." She then turned to Will and Phobos. "I am sorry Janet startled you and Will if you need Danny can take you down to the pharmacy. I was going to ask her to go there anyway since I am out of my favorite headache pills. The Pharmacy is right next to the convenient store."

"Will and I can go." Interrupted Elyon before Danny had a chance to say anything. She knew it would be quite a walk from the cabin to the store and that everyone would think of her as strange to ask a sick girl to walk with her; however, she needed to find out more about her brother and Will knew the most of everyone present. "The path is clear, and the walk isn't too long."

Tired, Sheela turned to Will and asked. "Young lady, do you feel up to the walk?"

"I think so…" Will replied a little confused as to why Elyon wanted her to come along.; however, she had a feeling it was important.

"Great. I'll make you a list." Replied Sheela and headed for the kitchen to write a list. Danny quickly followed her grandmother since she still needed to start dinner; she didn't want to risk Sheela starting anything that would surely end in a disaster.

"I can come along." Offered the Prince, but his sister objected.

"Will and I will be alright. Besides, I wanted to talk with her a bit."

"I can come along." Offered Irma, but she too was shot down; this time by Will.

"Guys, please. Elyon is right, we will be fine." She turned to her husband. "Phobos, you are not going anywhere with a hurt knee. I do not need to get a limp when you hit 60 and Irma." She turned to her friend with a smile. "I think Taranee and Hay-Lyn could use your help here. They hardly had any sleep last night and might still be a little frazzled about last night. Danny and Sheela are too busy to keep an eye on them and they would feel better with someone keeping an eye on them."

Naturally, Irma's shoulders dropped, but she didn't fight the subject and walked upstairs to check up on their friends. After a moment, Sheela returned from the kitchen with a small list and handed it to Will. "Here is a list of the headache pills, as well as something for your stomach and something for your husband's knee. I will reimburse you when you get back. Take your time and walk carefully. I know Danny cleared the path and the walk isn't too long, but I'd hate for any of you two to get hurt. You should be able to get everything from the counter and the guy working it knows me. Just say that Sheela sent you and hand him the list."

Will thanked the woman and was on her way out with Elyon with her husband stopped her. "Are you sure you are well enough to go? I mean- "

"I said I am good to go and, as long as I don't do any jumping-jacks, I should fine. Please don't worry about your sister and I; we will be back within the hour. Now go sit down and wait for our return; I have had an injury like yours in the past a know that it will hurt a lot more tomorrow if you don't let it rest."

"Wilhelmina, I- "he tried to object, but Will only crossed her arms at him.

"Don't argue this with me. I have gone through this before, so I know better. I promise Elyon and I will be back within the hour." With a slight smile, he gave her husband a gentle hug. "I managed to survive just fine before we got married, I should be fine on this short walk. Please stop worrying about me so much."

Begrudgingly, the Prince relented and let her go. She was right, the walk would be harmless and short, and he would be more hurt tomorrow if he didn't give his knee the rest. Furthermore, Will and Elyon might have a discussion on their walk and he could ask Will for information about his sister instead of making things even more awkward as it already was by asking his sister. With another smile and a wave, Will and Elyon left the cabin for the convenience store. When she was sure they were out of earshot, Will turned to Elyon and asked. "So, what is it that you want to talk about? If that is the reason you wanted to take this walk with me?"

Elyon sighed and hung her shoulders. She didn't have a full plan on what to ask Will about Phobos, but she had to start somewhere. "I asked him this earlier when the snowball fight started and I don't know what to make of his answer, so I'll ask you: Do you love my brother, even after everything that had happened between the two of you?"

"Of course, I love your brother. I wouldn't have married him if I didn't." Will replied with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Even with everything that had happened?"

"Elyon, on our wedding night, your brother told me that, if he could, he would undo things he had done in the past; however, he can't. All he can do is work on the present for a better future and I believe him. He hasn't done a single thing to hurt me or anyone for that matter. He is really trying his best despite the past. Furthermore, he can be funny and the greatest moron you could meet. I didn't marry him because I pitied him but because I genuinely feel loved and appreciated by that dork. Why are you asking this?"

"Well…I…how should I say this? I don't know what to think of him. Every time I look at him, I keep remembering everything he had done. I remember how he manipulated me to hate you and my friends; I remembered how he had taken me from my home; I remember how he had drained me of my powers and how he then imprisoned me in the dungeon. Not once did he act like a brother then and now he is married to you. I always wanted a sibling, but I don't know how I can see him as a brother after everything. Part of me wants to trust him, but I don't know if I can." She then hugged herself and kicked a pebble out of the way as they walked.

"I am not even sure he wants to be around me. He even started a snowball fight to avoid talking to me. Plus, it just feels so awkward to talk with him and act like the previous year never happened."

Will sighed, she had a feeling this would happen at some point, she had just hoped that her husband would be there when it did. "Elyon, I don't know what to say other than your brother is trying. Things are just as awkward for you as they are for him. He knows he has messed-up with you and he wants to work on patching things up; however, he doesn't really know how."

"I bet he only wants to be my brother now because you told him to." Responded Elyon in a bitter tone.

"Elyon, that is ridiculous, and you know it. I am not going to force anyone into anything they don't want to. He is here, not just because he would be in pain without me, but because he wanted to work on things with you. I don't know how else to say it other than that he is trying and doesn't know how. He probably started that snowball fight to kill the awkwardness. Things still get that we between him and I, but we take a moment and then talk things out. Sometimes we even talk over each other. All I can say is that communication is key; if it gets awkward, then power through it or find something funny to lighten the mood. I suggested he play a game with you, but I forgot that he doesn't really know any game from Earth. Even chess is different on Meridian than on Earth. I don't really know what to suggest you two could do together. I understand your concerns, but all I can say is please keep trying


	7. Chapter 6 Things

Back at the Cabin, Irma gently knocked on the door to Hay-Lyn and Taranee's room to see if the girls needed anything. Unexpectedly, she heard her friend Hay-Lyn respond with a "Come in."

The door was unlocked since Hay-Lyn was side awake this time and simply sat on the bed, with her feet covered with a quilt, reading a book she had brought with her. Taranee was out like a light and snoring away happily in the knowledge that Janet wouldn't get to her again. With a tired smile, Hay-Lyn put her book aside and greeted her friend. "Hey, Irma. What's up? I heard a thud downstairs; is everything alright or was Janet just being herself?"

"Yeah, Janet was being herself and played grabbsies with princy-boy. Of course, he didn't want to play and got his knee hurt. Will got sick earlier so her and Elyon are gone to the convenient store. Do you need me to take over your shift or are you good?"

"Oh, is Will going to be okay?" asked Hay-Lyn as she got up from the bed.

"Yeah, she says she just overdid it with a snowball fight after breakfast, but I have my doubts." Replied Irma and leaned in to whisper. "I think we might soon have a new Meridian Royal."

Hay-Lyn's expression fell flat, as did her voice, and she asked her friend. "Irma, do you lose sleep over those fantasies of yours?"

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you wouldn't be excited over the aspect of Will having a kid."

"I would, but not if she and her husband didn't plan it." Responded Hay-Lyn and rubbed her eyes. Irma was just being Irma again. "Look, can we discuss this another time? I am thirsty and would like to grab a soda. Could you please keep an eye on Taranee and make sure Janet doesn't get through that door?"

Irma hung her shoulders and agreed to keep an eye on the room while Hay-Lyn went downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Hay-Lyn looked into the living room, where the prince was sitting on the sofa with his leg propped up. Like the others, she was unsure of what to think of the prince. He hadn't done anything malicious since getting married to Will and, from what she heard, the kingdom was doing fine. Still, she didn't know what to think of the guy since she hardly knew him. "Hey, I heard Janet got you hurt. You gonna be okay?"

"I will live, it is just a hurt knee. I am just hoping Janet doesn't develop a taste for blood. I have lost enough of that in my life. Thanks for asking." Was his flat response and he didn't even look in Hay-Lyn's direction; he didn't mean to come off as rude; his mind was just on how his wife and sister were walking through the path in the woods. He hoped they were safe and that they would return soon as the stinging sensation began to develop in his chest; for the time being, he could deal with it. Hay-Lyn simply shrugged and went to the kitchen for a soda. When she returned to the hallway, she spotted Katja at the foot of the stairs lazily blinking at her. This was the closest Hay-Lyn had been to the old bobcat and his fur looked incredibly soft; naturally, the wind-witch felt compelled to pet the big cat and reached out her hand to touch it. Seeing this, Katja got up, rubbed against the girl's hand, and walked down the hallway to Sheela's bedroom; he stopped once to look back at the girl.

"Oh, you want me to follow you?" Hay-Lyn asked with a whispered giggled and made to follow the old cat. As they walked, Katja looked back at Hay-Lyn a few times and the girl giggled in response; it felt so silly to follow a cat. However, Hay-Lyn fell silent when she and Katja reached the back of the cabin where Sheela's bedroom door stood ajar and from inside the wind-witch could hear a hushed argument. It was Danny and Sheela.

"What the hell is wrong with Janet?"

"She is special Daniella and that is all you need to know."

"Bullshit she is. I have never heard of a mental condition that could make her act the way she is. There is more wrong with her than just 'she is special'. Has she ever been evaluated? Janet is a danger to everyone. She scared Taranee and attacked that Philip-guy. They could sue us for emotional and physical damage and, if they did, I couldn't say I would blame them. Could we at least get a social worker to come here and have a look at Janet? It is clear she is too much for you to handle on your own."

"Daniella, there is no need to get the authorities involved in this, so there will be no social worker coming to my house. I have managed Janet just fine for years; besides, I have told everyone to lock their doors at night and keep clear of Janet at all times. That Hay-Lyn forgot to lock her door and that the boy got hurt are not my faults nor are they Janet's, she can't help what she is. She probably saw the unlocked door as an invitation to go in and take Taranee's glasses. As for the young man, he must have gotten too close to her cubby-hole; you know how territorial she can be about that place. If you still doubt me and my keeping of Janet, then there is little I can do to ease your nerves."

"You are no more fit to raise Janet then you are to raise me. I could raise Janet better than you and I am not even sure who she is related to. I never met her or saw any photos of her before I got here. How do I know she is related to any of us? Given how you have been acting, for all I know, she is just mental-asylum escapee hiding here in the Canadian woods, waiting to kill us all."

"Now Daniella, you are going too far. She is related to you and that is all you need to know for the time being. I will explain more when you are older and more mature."

"Which is code for you will never tell me since you are already ancient." It was then that Hay-Lyn stopped listening. Even though she was raised to respect her elders, and she adored her grandmother, Hay-Lyn couldn't help but agree with Danny on most parts. Janet was strange and a potential danger; they shouldn't have to lock their doors like a prison in order to sleep peacefully at night. Then again, this wasn't her family; it was Irma's extended family. Thinking of this, Hay-Lyn considered asking Irma about Janet; surely she would have heard or seen something that could explain her strange behavior. Perhaps it was genetic or, if it wasn't and Irma had never seen nor heard of anyone other than Janet acting that way in her family, then it was something developmentally; if that was the case, then they could drop an anonymous tip to the social system to check in on the strange girl. As Hay-Lyn made her way back to the stairs, she spotted the prince by the front door putting on his jacket and scarf.

"Are you really heading out on that hurt knee of yours?" she asked with her arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"They are taking an awful amount of time to get there." He replied and put on his hat.

"They probably just now reached the store. Don't you think you should give them a little more time?"

"If they did just reach the store then I should meet them on their way back if I head out now."

"Are you heading out because of the poison?" Asked Hay-Lyn, she had never been told the full extent of the Prince's condition.

"Partly that and partly me being tired of Janet staring holes into the back of my head from her vantage point." Replied Phobos and opened the front door.

"Do you need any of us to come along?"

"I should be fine." Was his quick response before the door shut behind him. He knew the call about the mangy bear had never left the house, but he could blast the thing to ashes if it came to it; if the council asked anything, he would argue self-defense and defense of his family.

Beneath his feet, the snow crunched, the cold air bit at his face, and his hurt knee throbbed with every step but he already felt better after leaving the house. There definitely was something wrong with Janet, he simply couldn't figure out what it was.

XXXXX

After a while of walking in complete silence, the two girls finally reached the convenient store at the edge of the path. The store was small and looked like a shot-gun style house that was converted. It had two rows of shelves, by the door were two rotating towers with postcards and two small freezers on the back for their frozen goods. Beside the freezers stood the pharmacy counter and behind the counter stood an elderly man. As they entered, Will turned to Elyon and said. "How about you look and see if you find anything you would like or, perhaps, a postcard for your parents. I can get these few things."

Elyon agreed and went to look through the postcards while Will rushed to the counter and handed the elderly man the list. The old man looked as though he awoke every morning in a sour mood, though that could be coming from the countless wrinkles all over his face; the man's face resembled that of an old raisin. Will, despite feeling uncomfortable in the presence of the old man, smiled and warmly greeted him. "Hello, sir. We are friends with Sheela's granddaughter and are here on vacation. Sheela sent us to get the things on this list." She then leaned a little closer and whispered. "And may I add a pregnancy test to the list? Please don't make it too obvious. I am married to that girl's brother."

The man simply grunted and nodded. He didn't believe for a second that the red-head before him was married, but he did believe she might be knocked-up and be friends with Sheela's granddaughter. To him, it seemed a growing epidemic of teen pregnancies and a direct result of the erosion of society. The first thing he handed her was the test for $1 before quickly gathering the rest and placing it in a bag. Will placed $20 on the counter and told Elyon to choose what she wanted, and that money was on the counter before excusing herself to the bathroom. Elyon chose three postcards with water painted images of the surrounding in the spring for her parents. The man rung them up, placed the receipt in the bag without letting Elyon see it, and handed her the change. Luckily the girls could use American currency because of how close the town was to the Canadian-American border.

After a few minutes, Will returned and took the bag from Elyon before thanking the man and heading out on their way back to the cabin. Elyon quickly noticed how quiet and pale Will was and how long she took in the bathroom. While still mauling over their conversation from earlier, the young princess turned to Will and asked. "Is everything alright? You took a while in the bathroom. Did you get sick again?"

"No Elyon I didn't get sick this time. I thought I was going to, but my stomach is just all tied up in knots from the previous day and from this morning, there is nothing you need to be worried about." Replied Will and placed a hand on her stomach.

"Are you sure. I overheard what Irma asked you earlier and- "

"Don't you start with it too." Will cut in. "Since I got married it is all people have been asking me. Every time I feel a little off, I hear 'Are you pregnant?' or 'Do you want to take a test to make sure?' I haven't been married for a full year yet and, on top of all of it, I am a little too young to have kids right now." Elyon shrank back a bit at Will's snappy tone of voice; Will noticed this and sighed to calm her nerves and patted Elyon on the back. She didn't mean to scare the young girl, who was obviously just concerned over her health. "I know you are worried about me, but there is nothing to worry about. I love your brother deeply and he feels the same way about me, but we are still figuring things out ourselves. If we do plan on having kids, you are the first to know; even before Irma. Does that sound like a deal to you?"

Elyon thought it over for a minute before nodding her head. "Alright, it is a deal and I'll stop asking if it makes you feel better." She then turned to her friend with a smile and added. "However, if you do have kids one day; I want to be the first you ask about babysitting. I might not get along with my brother, but I'll surely get along with a niece or a nephew."

Will chuckled and agreed to Elyon's conditions "Quick question." Elyon added.

"Shoot."

"Has my brother mentioned the Heart at any time during your marriage or has he been ignoring it? Since he was after it this whole time and it hasn't been doing anything lately."

"He has been ignoring it for the most part, but I agree that it hasn't been doing much lately. Sometimes I feel it buzzing; however, that is about it. Since I married your brother there hasn't been much need to protect Kandrakar or Meridian. Sure, there are conflicts with Morovia, but those can be solved without magic. Perhaps it is on standby?"

"Maybe." Added Elyon and the two continued their walk in relative silence; until, near the middle of the path, they heard something off to their right. It was faint but just audible enough to make the girls stop and look. In a shaky whisper, Elyon asked. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah." Replied Will and tried to look a little past the trees but saw nothing. "Let's go back to the cabin."

"But Will, it sounded like a person." Responded Elyon and before Will could say anything came another sound from the woods; this time much closer and clearer. It was the desperate cry of someone calling for help.

"_Oh God someone, please. Help Me!"_

Will, someone is in trouble. We have to do something." Said Elyon and made her way to the edge of the tree-line. Before Elyon could get any further, Will grabbed her sister-in-law's shoulder and pulled her back onto the path.

"Elyon, this isn't a good idea. Let's head back and tell Danny and Sheela. They will know what to do."

"Sheela lied to us about calling the police and Danny is just as strange as her grandmother. What if it is that bear that is attacking them? If we don't go and help the person, they could die." Elyon snapped over her shoulder at Will and twisted her arm free from her grip. She was certain this person was in life-threatening danger and she wanted to help them. Will tried to call Elyon back, but it was no use, so she followed after the young princess; jumping over large branches and fallen trees to keep up with her. All too soon, the path was a speck in the distance; luckily Will managed to catch up to Elyon and grab her by the arm.

"Elyon, are you crazy, you can't just run off into the woods like this. You could have gotten hurt." She said as her eyes scanned their surroundings. "Besides, we have no idea where that person is or what trouble they are in. I don't trust Sheela any more than you, but we can't do this on our own. Look, we'll go back to the convenient store and ask the man there to call the police."

"You are a guardian! We can both use magic. Why are you so scared to help this person?"

"Elyon- "Will tried to explain when the cry came again. This time even closer.

"_Oh God someone, please. Help Me!" _

The cry seemed to come from all directions and Elyon was about to rush off in a randomly chosen direction, but Will held on tight. There was something about that call for help that was too similar to the previous one. Elyon was about to snap at Will when, suddenly, the call came again.

"_Oh God someone, please. Help Me!" _

Will's grip tightened on Elyon's arm and pulled the girl close. It was the exact same as before; there wasn't a single change in the tone, volume, or word order; it was as though the call was recorded and simply played back to them over and over again. Even Elyon caught on to what made Will so uneasy about the cry and froze in place. As the two girls stood, frozen, the call came again.

"_Oh God someone, please. Help Me!"_

This time, it came from behind a nearby tree. A chill rand down Elyon's back and the heart began to buzz against Will's chest; they knew they were in danger and there was little they could do about it. Slowly, the scent of damp earth and rotting fruit registered in their noses and the temperature seemed to drop; their knees began to shake, their ears rang with the silence of the forest, and Elyon's eyes began to fill with tears. Their eyes scanned the surrounding trees; they didn't know what to look out for but hoped never to find out. Suddenly, their eyes fell upon something peeking out from behind a tree.

It was the head of a stag poking out from behind a tree and staring at them. The heart buzzed frantically against Will's chest when her eyes fell upon the animal staring back at them. Elyon shrank back and wrapped her arms around Will's middle, as though the red-head was a large stuffed teddy and she was small child afraid of a thunderstorm. There was something wrong about that stag, it simply stared at the two girls. Will could compare the feeling of being watched by this thing to the way Phobos use to make her feel when they were still enemies; she was in the presence of a predator and they were its' prey. Their blood ran cold when the stag opened his mouth and the cry for help came out_. "Oh God someone, please. Help Me!"_

With its' cover blown, it began to rise to an impossible height and a long, gangly, bony clawed paw snuck out from behind the tree and wrapped around the trunk of the tree. Its' nails merged with its', seemingly rotten, grey flesh. The thing curled-up its' lips and bared its' sharp, jagged, black and yellow teeth at the girls while thick, frothy, while saliva dripped from its' mouth. The girls didn't need to see the thing step out from behind the tree to know it was out to kill them. In a panic, they attempted to run back in the direction they had come from, but before they could even make it five steps, the thing covered the distance with a few steps and cut them off; forcing the girls to turn around and run deeper into the woods. Frantically they ran and jumped over the snow-covered foliage; all the while they heard the cracking and crunching of branches only a few feet behind them. They managed to keep a good distance between themselves and the thing when something caught Will's foot; causing her to hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Elyon stopped immediately and tried to pull Will back onto her feet; the thing was nowhere in sight. The moment Will got onto her feet, a sharp pain ran up her ankle and forced her to sit down on a fallen tree; with an ankle like this, there was no way she could run. Panting heavily, the girls surveyed the area for any signs of the thing, but it was nowhere in sight and they couldn't smell it either. For a brief moment, they allowed themselves to breathe and hope that it had given up on them.

The girls froze when they heard a twig snapping nearby and Elyon, despite being weak and relatively inexperienced with magic, summoned a small ball of energy and flung it in the direction of the sound. The ball hit something out of sight and the girls heard a frantic "DON'T SHOOT!"

It was Phobos, he had reached the part of the path where the girls had wandered off and rushed to catch up with them. He had a feeling something was wrong, and his suspicions were proven right when he saw the disturbed snow. He had almost caught up to the girls when a ball of energy nearly hit his head; luckily he managed to dodge it just in time and it exploded on the ground behind him. "Don't shoot me please."

Elyon shrank back a bit after realizing she almost killed her own brother and Will let out a sigh of relief when she saw her husband. Perhaps with someone tall around, the thing would be discouraged and leave them alone. Before Will could say anything, Elyon nearly broke down. "There is something chasing us!"

Her brother looked at both of them in shock and surprise. "It is after us and we lost sight of it" Elyon added and wrapped her arms around Will and began to sob. "I am so sorry I got you into this mess. You were right, we should have gone back to the store and called the police!" Will patted Elyon's shoulder and Phobos approached and gently rubbed her back to comfort her. He didn't know what to say or do to comfort her, he had never been confronted with such a situation, but he tried. This small family moment was killed when the group heard a snapping sound. Elyon's knees shuttered at the meaning of that sound; the thing had caught up to them. Phobos scanned their surrounding and leaned closer to the two girls to whisper.

"I can cover you two, just run back in the direction of the cabin."

"I can't run. I twisted my ankle." Will whispered back as her eyes focused on a tree not far from them; she had a feeling the thing stood behind it waiting for them to let down their guard. Phobos inwardly cursed at this; he needed both of them to get out of this dangerous situation. He was sure he could take this thing on his own. That was then the thing stepped out from behind a tree.

Like the claw, the thing was thin and bony to the point it appeared emaciated; its bones jutting out from its' tightly pulled grey skin. Aside from the stag's head and neck, the thing was hairless, giving the group a full display of its grotesque appearance. They could see blue, bulbous veins under the tight grey skin; its limbs were long and gangly yet appeared strong enough to crush a car; its' spine poked out through its' back and its' joints looked broken, as if it had been in a horrible accident yet it stood a tall 8 feet. The reek of rotten fruit was strong enough that Will had to gasp for air and her eyes filled with tears at the thought of this thing killing and eating them. Without taking his eyes off the thing, Phobos conjured a ball of flaming, green, energy and prepared himself to throw it at the thing. If he couldn't get both of them out of this situation, at least he could try to get his sister out. He was sure he could protect Will just fine. With his eyes still trained on the thing, he leaned closer to his sister and whispered to her through gritted teeth. "Elyon, when I say so, I need you to run back to the cabin. Don't argue and don't look back."

Seeing that the prey wasn't running, the thing stepped closer with its' clawed, bird-like feet, crunched the twigs under the snow. It was this that Phobos was waiting for; with a rush shove, he pushed his sister into motion and shouted, "RUN NOW!"

Elyon didn't need to be told twice and, with a bit of a stumble, she dashed in the direction they had come from. As expected, the thing made a move to follow the child, which was when Phobos threw the ball of energy at the thing, hitting it square in the chest. The thing stumbled back a bit but didn't die; the magic seemingly dripped off it like water on a raincoat. This, he did not expect and made to conjure another, stronger, blast of energy as the thing turned its' attention from the running girl onto him with a snarl. Will's eyes widened with horror as when she saw how this thing simply shook off the magic attack and she grabbed onto her husband in a panic. "Phobos, I have to tell you something."

"It can wait." He replied as the thing shuffled to turn its' body to fully face the two newlyweds.

"No, it can't wait." Will gasped, never taking her eyes off the thing; the heart buzzed like a wild bee against her chest as though it too was terrified.

"What is it?" he asked, readying himself to fight this thing. He had fought scuttlers and other Meridian-monsters; surely he simply needed something stronger to kill this thing. However, this thought was cut short when he heard Will's response.

I am pregnant."


	8. Chapter 7 Territory Fight

Three words are all it takes to make or break a situation and Will's three, simple, words just broke it. Phobos's mind went blank as he stared his wife in the eyes; the creature forgotten for the moment. He wished he had a way to get her out of this place; to get her back to Meridian; to the castle with its' high walls and warm rooms. Instead, they were out here in the snowy woods with an unknown creature, ready to bite their heads off. His attention was torn from his wife by the creature when it jumped the gap between them, ready to bite their throats. Luckily, Phobos hadn't let the ball of energy dissipate and threw it at the creature without a second of hesitation, hitting it square in the chest and throwing the thing back a few feet; still, the blast hadn't killed it. Like the previous attack, the green flames seemed to drip from the creature's body like raindrops. The few feet of distance between them didn't allow for much, they couldn't run and carrying Will would slow them down enough for the thing to catch them. All they could do is stand their ground and fight until the others arrived.

The creature hissed and howled when its' back hit a nearby tree; causing some of the bark to crumble off and hit the snow. Phobos was ready to throw another attack at the thing, but Will beat him to the punch by hurling quintessence at the thing; hitting it in the face. However, that too only dripped off the creature like her husband's attacks had. This thing seemed to be magic proof. The force was strong enough to seemingly dislocate the thing's jaw, which limply hung open for a moment; giving the two a good view of the creature's teeth. On full display, they were even more grotesque than before; it had no molars, they all consisted of sharp, discolored, nail-like spikes that stuck out in odd angles. Its' tongue was long, pale in color, and appeared to be covered in tiny hairs like that of a cat.

This thing's mouth was made to tear and shred.

Furthermore, it didn't hinder the thing; it simply snapped its' jaw back in place with a swift jerk of its' neck; making a sickening cracking sound as it does. The two newlyweds exchanged frightened glances as the thing was distracted; there was no way they could continue to fight this thing. Each of their attacks simply dripped off the thing and any physical damage is repaired instantly. However, their brief moment was cut short when the thing roared, sounding like a person screaming for their life while their lungs were filling with blood, and jumped at them.

Phobos had no chance to conjure another attack and neither did Will; it took them a few seconds to gather the energy and they were already weakened. As the thing came closer, Phobos stood between it and Will with his arms wrapped around her; if it was going to get them, it would get him first and give her a chance; a minute chance, but a chance, nonetheless. In a desperate act, as anyone would do, Will shut her eyes and held out her hand like a shield as if she could physically force time to stop.

She had expected her husband to be ripped from her any second, but that didn't happen. To her surprise, all she heard was a faint thud; it sounded similar to a hand slapping glass. In surprise, Will's eyes snapped open and she saw what had stopped the thing; somehow, a pink-shaded dome had formed over them as a barrier between them and that thing. It was her magic; she had managed to form a shield using her quintessence. After a second, her husband noticed as well.

"I didn't know you could do this." He gasped in surprise; the creature momentarily forgotten.

"Neither did I, but I am not complaining," Will responded, still surprised about what she could do. She had never considered attempting a shield with her magic; all she had ever done was use it as attacks. However, her surprise and joy were short-lived as the thing kept throwing its' body against the shield and minor cracks in the barrier began to form. Seeing this, Phobos held up his hand and, below Will's barrier, as second one forms in a light green color; this way, they might buy themselves a few minutes until help arrived. Still, small cracks began to form, and Will looked at her husband in concern and, though he had the same worries, he attempted to hide his.

"I don't think this will keep it off for long." Said Will in fear as she noticed the cracks beginning to grow and felt her energy drain the longer she held up her shield.

"Don't worry Wilhelmina. Together, we got this."

XXXXX

In the meantime, back at the cabin, Hay-Lyn and Irma switched places guarding Taranee and the young water-witch didn't hesitate to go downstairs and into the living room. Hay-Lyn had told her that their friend's husband had left and that Danny and Sheela were having an argument; however, she had nothing better to do and didn't feel like hibernating in her room all day. At least in the living room, she had books, games, and a fireplace to keep her entertained. Sure, she would have to deal with Janet and the girl's strange behavior, but she could deal with it. To her surprise, when she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw Katja pacing back and forth in front of the front door while Janet was simply standing in the hallway staring out a small window beside the door. It was as if they were sensing that there was something wrong.

"What is the matter? Is an Earthquake coming?" she asked Janet, trying to be funny since the rigid way Janet stood reminded Irma of a dog. As expected, Janet didn't budge but Irma still, nearly, jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice behind her.

"This is new." It was Danny, finally having given up on her argument with her grandmother. She had come out into the hallway and saw the same thing her cousin had; the "animals" of the house knew something was wrong.

"What do you think is wrong?" asked Irma after recovering from her surprise.

"I don't know, but I am going to find out." With that, Danny pulled out her wool jacket from the hallway closet. She was just about to head out when she hesitated and looked back at the closet, she didn't remember her grandmother telling her that the mangy bear had been taken care of and felt it a poor decision to head out without some form of protection.

"Why do you need that?" Asked Irma as Danny returned to the closet and pulled out her shotgun and a handful of ammunition.

"Just in case that mangy bear is out there."

"Do you think my friends are in danger?" she asked her cousin in a panic, but Danny shook her head.

"The bears in this area aren't that tell and rather shy. Your injured friend and, possibly, the little girl might be in danger but not your friend Will. Bears go don't really go after herds but, if they have to, they go after the sick or injured or young members of the herd. Your friend Will is young and strong; if push comes to shove, and that bear dares to attack, she would easily escape. The gun is for me. I am a single person and therefore an easy target." Danny explained as she shoved the ammunition into her jacket pocket.

"Want me to come with you?" Irma still felt worried over her friends and didn't want to add her cousin to the mix.

"No, I would feel better if you stayed here where it is safe and warm," Danny replied and headed for the door. "However, if I am not back within the hour, I need you to call the cops." The moment Danny opened the front door, Katja jumped out and started dashing down the driveway and onto the path. Danny tried to call the large feline back, but quickly gave up and ran after him; leaving Irma and Janet standing by the door.

XXXXX

Elyon slipped and stumbled as she ran down the snow and ice covered path; her eyes were flooded with tears and her mind was incapable of forming a coherent thought. All she could do was focus on getting to the cabin. Furthermore, her heart was breaking at the idea that she had endangered bother her best friend and her brother; she would be the reason they died and there wasn't anything she could do but run and get help. That was when she slipped on a patch of ice and fell; busting open her knees and scrapping the palms of her hands. Immediately, she tried to scramble back onto her feet, but her feet kept slipping and she kept falling onto her hurt knees.

Again, she tried and again she failed. The more she failed the more desperate she became and the more her eyes cried tears of regret and desperation. Finally, she gave-up; she couldn't see through her teary eyes, her hands and knees burned with pain, and her lungs burned from running in the cold. Crying and bloody, she stayed on her knees and curled into a ball; her forehead pressed into the snowy gravel. She wanted to disappear, she wanted to trade places with them, she wished she had never listened to the cries for help from the woods, but now she was powerless to do anything.

Her sobs and gasps were cut short when she felt a tap on the back of her head. She Shot her head up with a terrified cry, certain the thing had gone after her but, to her surprise, she only saw Katja sitting before her; he had tapped the back of her head with his paw. Elyon didn't know what to think, why was Katja there? Then she looked up and saw Danny jogging down the path after the old bobcat with a shotgun in hand. When Danny saw Elyon, she panicked a little and rushed over to help her onto her feet.

"Elliot, what is the matter?" Danny asked as she had pulled Elyon off the ground and steadied her; looking into the girl's teary eyes. "Where is your family?"

At the mention of her family, Elyon began to sob again and pointed in the direction she had come from. "There is a thing attacking them!" she managed to get out between sobs, "I was told to run!""

Danny looked in the direction Elyon pointed and could see dim, flashing, lights in the distance. "Listen, Eliot, I need you to take Katja back to the cabin. I'll go and get your folks and then we are getting the cops. Can you follow those orders?"

Elyon nodded and that is all that was said between them. Elyon picked-up Katja and kept running towards the cabin while Danny loaded her shotgun and raced in the direction of the lights; she was sure the lights were from the girl's family.

XXXXX

Over and over the thing threw its' body against the barrier and even attempted to bits its' way through it. Both Will and Phobos were trying their best to keep the barrier in place, but it was quickly draining them. Furthermore, the thing began to throw their words back at them as it attacked; replaying their words in a warped and mottled way.

"Don't Worry Wilhelmina. Together We Got This." It would say as it slammed against the barrier. "I Am Pregnant."

It sickened Will to hear their words coming from the jaws of this thing that wanted nothing more than to eat them. Then, the worst happened; her barrier broke and Phobos's was cracking as well. Will had no energy to create another and her husband wasn't doing much better. It only took three more attempts of the creature before the green barrier broke; now they were completely exposed to the thing. Again, Phobos tried to stand between it and Will; he was shaking from exhaustion, but he was still going to fight this thing. The thing snarled at him and poised itself, ready to pounce when a deafening sound rang through the air and a chunk of wood from a tree behind the creature exploded.

For a moment, all three were still and Will took the chance to look in the direction of the sound; just a few feet away, stood Danny with her shotgun shouldered and aimed at the thing. The creature, seeming forgetting about Will and Phobos, turned its' attention to its' new assailant and growled before attempted to jump at her. Danny didn't hesitate and fired another shot at the thing, hitting it in the knee; forcing the thing to hit the ground with a yelp as its' black, syrup-like, blood poured from its' injury. Danny didn't waste a second and shouted at the two newlyweds as she reloaded her weapon.

"GET THE FUCK BACK TO THE CABIN!"

"What about you?" Will asked as Phobos picked her up and rushed past the creature, rolling on the ground while howling in pain.

"I'LL BE FINE, GET OUT OF HERE!"

"We are not leaving you- "Danny didn't let Phobos finish his sentence.

"I AM THE ONE WITH A GUN YOU MORON! NOW GET!" she shouted at him and readied her gun. She had no clue what that thing was that she shot at and she didn't want to find out, she simply wanted that thing dead and the two morons safe. Despite having hated how her siblings forced her into training to handle a gun, she was thankful she knew how to shoot. Phobos only took one look back at the creature, that was now starting to get up, before rushing past Danny while carrying his wife; he made sure to follow the girl's footprints out of the woods and onto the path.

Before Danny could take another aim at the thing, the creature was back on its' feet and rushed at Danny; knocking the shotgun out of her hand. Danny mentally screamed and cursed her life as the gun was torn from her hands and hit a nearby tree. However, she wasn't completely unarmed, she had her spear on her bracelet. With a swift motion, she grabbed it, undid the clasp keeping it compressed, and whacked the creature in the face with the sharp end as it extended to its' full length within the blink of an eye. This bought her enough time to make a run for it; dashing after the newlyweds a few feet ahead of her.

As they ran, Will glanced over her husband's shoulder and, to her horror, the thing was just a few inches from grabbing Danny, who was shouting at them to run faster. She wanted to use an attack on the thing, but she simply didn't have the energy to do that; she hardly had the strength to keep her eyes open. At this point, both Will and Phobos were running on nothing but adrenaline.

XXXXX

Back at the cabin, Irma waited beside Janet and looked out the window beside the door; she hadn't left that spot since Danny left. She was worried sick about her friends, earlier she had completely forgotten about the bear and now she was mentally kicking herself for letting go on their own. Sure, all three could use magic, with Elyon being the least experienced, but there was still a chance it caught them off guard. She was so worried that she didn't even mind standing beside Janet the entire time, who was growing more rigid and began to shake like an angry dog. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Janet let out a low growl.

"What is the matter, Janet? Is little Timmy trapped in a well?" she asked, trying to comfort herself with some humor; however, this wasn't working. She then returned her attention to the window and saw what she thought Janet had growled at; it was Elyon running after Katja. Irma didn't need to wait, as the moment she opened the door, both girl and cat came crashing in. Elyon was gasping, the cold air had stung her lungs as she ran, and her knees were bloody and weak; she only had the strength to crawl to the foot of the stairs and sat there while the tears silently dropped from her eyes. Irma let the door fall shut and rushed over to hug and comfort the shaking girl.

"Elyon, what is the matter? What happened and where are Will and your brother?" she asked in a hushed tone, trying to comfort the girl.

"There was a thing…" Elyon tried to gasp out while controlling her aching lungs. "Phobos told me to run and I did…I just kept running…I fell…Danny is out there…she has a gun…is she going to kill it?" Irma looked at Elyon in confusion. Nothing the girl said made much sense; was she referring to the sick bear? Elyon was too winded and shaken-up to say much more, which was when she noticed the blood on the girl's hands and knees; as well as some small stones that were still stuck in Elyon's hands. However, before Irma could take the girl to the bathroom to clean her up, Janet let out another snarl which caught the young water-witch's attention and she returned to the window; when she looked out, she saw Will being carried by Phobos, running out of the woods like the devil was upon them. Beside her, Janet was growing antsy and began to snarl; however, Irma ignored that and opened the front door for them. That was when she saw Danny a few feet behind her friends with an expression of pure terror on her face. Irma didn't understand why they were running until she saw what was right behind her cousin.

The thing she saw definitely want a bear suffering from hair loss; that thing was something out of the depths of her nightmares. Seeing that thing, inches from grabbing her cousin, Irma froze in terror and didn't notice Janet moving from the window to the open door. Before anyone could do anything, Janet slipped out of the crack between the door and Irma and dashed down the property on her hands and feet. She ran right past the newlyweds and Danny, who dared to look back at Janet for a second, only to shriek in terror when she saw how close the creature was. Of the three, only Will noticed how Janet ran towards the thing at the speed of a greyhound. It was only Will who saw Janet coming to a full stop between Danny and the creature, stand tall, and let out a roar all too similar to the one the thing had let out.

At the sound Janet let out, the creature came to a grinding halt before the girl and snarled at her. The roar Janet let out caught the attention of everyone in the house and, soon, Sheela stood beside the frozen Irma; only moving her aside to let the Will and Phobos in, who nearly reached the back of the cabin as he slipped on the wooden floor with his snow-covered boots. From upstairs, Hay-Lyn and Taranee came running from their room and looked down at the commotion asking what was happening and what that sound was; from where Taranee stood, she could see through the front door and see Janet having a showdown with a nightmare of a creature. Danny was the only one who didn't run into the cabin for shelter; instead, she ran up until the front porch before turning around, expecting that thing to have bitten Janet's head off. When she turned around, to her surprise, Janet was fine, and Sheela was yelled at Danny to get in. "Daniella, get into the house now!"

"Janet- "Sheela didn't let Danny finish.

"Janet is fine. This is a territory fight. Now get into the house!" Sheela snapped and grabbed Danny, dragging the young teen into the house by her sleeve. Immediately shut the door behind her and ushering the group into the living room where they could look out the window to observe the fight. From the living room, they could see Janet standing before the creature; however, something about Janet seemed off. She began to change.

Before their eyes, they saw Janet begin to grow. Her arms and legs stretched to three times their original length. Her neck extended. Her nails began to grow into sharp claws. Her jaw extended and her teen shifted so they stuck out of her gums like crooked nails. After a minute, she looked like a human-dog hybrid creature of the same species as the thing. Again, the thing that use to be Janet let out a blood-curdling scream at the thing that had tried to enter her territory. The creature roared back at Janet and gnashed its' teeth at her; its frothy saliva dripping into the snow. Janet didn't budge but swiped at the creature with her long, sharp, claws as a final warning.

The creature didn't accept this and made to jump on Janet. The thing that use to be Janet simply jumped aside and grabbed the thing's antlers; pushing its' head down with her foot. She kept pulled at the antlers while the creature shook its' head and clawed at her legs, trying to get away from her. Finally, after a moment of struggle, the antlers popped off of the creature's head with a sickening pop and more of its' black blood poured onto the snow. The creature howled in anger and pain, but Janet wasn't finished. Dropping the antlers, she dug her nails into her opponent's shoulders, pulled it into a standing position, and sunk her teeth into the thing's neck.

Even from the living room, the group could hear the stomach-turning crunch of the thing's neck breaking and, to ensure the thing was dead, Janet tore out the creature's throat before letting it hit the ground. The whole fight between the two creatures took less than a minute. Shaking with shock and fear, Danny turned to her grandmother and said.

"There is no way I am related to that."


	9. Chapter 8 Family History

"I have to agree with Danny. There is no way to Sunday that any of us are related to that!" said Irma and pointed out the window at Janet, who had dropped now limp creature into the snow and had turned to return to the cabin. As she walked, her limbs began to contract, as did her snout-like jaw, and her teeth began to pull back into her gums; by the time she reached the porch steps, she again looked like Janet. The only evidence that she was involved in a fight with that creature, was the dark stains on her face, hands, and sweater. Inside the living room, the group watched in silent horror as the girl approached the cabin. Hay-Lyn and Taranee held each other like frightened siblings; Irma had a hand on Danny, who was keeping an eye on both Janet and Sheela while trying to understand what she had just seen; Phobos held both his wife and his sister, all three of them were hurt and exhausted. Will was shaking from what she had witnessed and wondered what that creature was; how had that thing managed to repel their magic like water? Elyon, too, was shaking and tried not to cough from her lungs adapting to the warm air of the cabin; she was just glad that she could hold onto her brother like he was a large stuffed animal that hugged back.

"You two are right in some regards. We are not related by blood to Janet, but she is related to us." Replied Sheela and went to open the door for the young girl, who was gently knocking on the door, demanding to be let in. When Sheela walked past the living room doorway, she was on her way to the downstairs bathroom to get Janet cleaned up, she looked in and said. "I will explain later after I get Janet cleaned up. Now, Danny and you, young man," she meant Phobos, "go outside and take that thing into the basement. There is a metal door behind the stairs that is unlocked; take that thing and place it on the metal table in that room for me. I am too old to carry it on my own. Please to that now, before someone shows up and sees it."

With that, she had left to attend to Janet, leaving Danny to stare over her shoulder at Phobos; they wondered if they should do what Sheela ordered them to. They wondered if they even had the nerve to go outside and get near that thing, but Sheela had a point; they couldn't let someone come across that thing and ask questions no one could answer. Gathering their nerve, they pried themselves loose from their friends and family and headed out into the snow. The creature stunk like a rotting dumpster and was starting to grow stiff from the cold. Despite how thin that thing was, it weighs more than 300lbs. Working together, Danny and Phobos barely managed to lift the thing from the ground; they ended up carrying the thing, so its butt scrapped along the ground. The progress was slow, and it was difficult to carry the thing down the basement stairs in a way that wouldn't cause Danny to fall down the stairs, as she was the one going backward. As expected, there was a rust-colored, metal, door hidden in the shadows behind the stairs. Opening the door, the two of them found a freezing cold room that was dimly light by a single lightbulb; it contained a metal table in the center, a sink in the far corner, and a shelf with several glass containers holding things suspended in some sort of liquid.

This was a small laboratory.

Exerting what was left of their strength, the two hoisted the thing onto the metal table. The moment it lay on the table, its muscles relaxed and the air that was trapped in its lungs escaped, causing the syrupy blood in its shredded throat to bubble and gurgle. This was too much for Danny, she felt her stomach churn and her vision blur, all color drained from her face and she had to rush to the sink where she threw up what little remained of her breakfast. Phobos didn't like the situation any more than Danny but managed to keep his composure; there were similar creatures in Meridian that he had come across. However, on those creatures, magic worked and defending oneself was easy; this thing was something different. Finally, after rinsing out her mouth with water, Danny managed to form words. "I knew my family was fucked up, but this is bonkers!"

"Your family is relatively normal," Phobos said absentmindedly, which made Danny chuckle despite the situation.

"I seriously doubt that." With that, the two of them quickly left the room, making sure to close the door behind them, and left the basement; they didn't have any desire to return. When they returned to the living room, Sheela was, just now, coming out of the downstairs bathroom with a cleaned up Janet. Furthermore, she was carrying, what looked like a thick binder under her arm. In the living room, Janet immediately hopped up to her cubbyhole above the door and curled into a ball, lazily watching the group who were all seated now. Sheela sat at the gaming table across from Danny but spoke loud enough for all to hear.

"I had hoped this day would never come, but it seems life has a different plan for you my grandchild." She said as she opened the binder and handed Danny a small, black and white, photo of Danny's great-great-grandmother with her four children. On the far left of the photo stood a girl that looked exactly like Janet, braids and all, but she was smiling which the thing sleeping above the door never did. Seeing that Danny noticed the similarity between the girl in the photo and Janet, she continued. "The girl on the left is my mother's youngest sister Janet Downing."

Danny looked up at her grandmother but said nothing; she didn't know what to say. "Now, I know it seems strange, but what we do is completely normal. If someone from outside the family aw this, they would say we are monster-hunters; however, this isn't completely true. These things, out there, aren't monsters; they are animals like any other. True they are terrifying, but so is a lion to a gazelle. What we do is similar to a park ranger; we observe them from a distance, study them, and kill them should they get too dangerous."

"So, we are park rangers on steroids," Danny stated as her eyes fell back onto the photo. "But, why does Janet and your aunt look so similar?"

"I am getting to that. Now, We have been doing this for several generations and, in each lineage, we try to cap off the youngest two or three so they can live a normal life outside of this mess. Which is why your cousin Irma and her father never got involved with any of this. When you were born, I have voted to keep you caped off, but then your sister Gwen and your brother Jack were born. I still wanted you to remain outside of this family business, but your older siblings thought it best to still train you; even if they never taught you anything."

"Explains the gymnastics and the karate training." Danny sighed, she had always hated going to those training and never understood the reason why she had to attend and work hard on it.

"Indeed, that was why you had to go through all this. However, now that you witnessed all this and almost got eaten, I think it is better you are integrated into the family business."

"That is still a nightmare to think about, but why do we have a Janet look-alike in our house?" that was then Sheela took Danny's hand and looked at her solemnly.

"My aunt was one of those intended to be capped off. However, she was very interested in the natural world. My mother was the oldest and adored my aunt but tried to keep her from going to patrol through the woods. This rarely worked and Janet would follow my mother around all the time. One day, my mother spotted a pack of Skin Crawlers."

"Skin Crawlers…" Danny let the word rest in her mouth, it seemed too odd yet fitting. "Is that what Janet and that thing in the basement are?"

"Yes, both Janet and the one in the basement are Skin Crawlers. Now, my mother spotted a female and her pups near their den. Janet also saw them and that one of the pups was a malnourished runt. My mother never figured out how, but, somehow, Janet managed to steal the runt. The mother mustn't have minded since she never came to look for her baby. My mother and grandmother found Janet feeding the thing in the basement leftover roast like a puppy. My mother wanted to kill it, but Janet begged to keep it and my mother allowed it, as long as Janet was careful. For months, everything was fine and Janet was the only one to feed it; after a while, my mother stopped supervising her little sister when she fed her little pet."

"But something went wrong, didn't it?" Danny asked Sheela as she was putting the pieced together in her mind.

"Again, you are right. My aunt got sick one week in early spring and didn't manage to feed her pet. My mother and her siblings tried to pick up their sister's chore, but the thing wouldn't eat from them. Then, one night while she was still sick with the flue, Janet crawled out of bed. She must have been worried that her pet would starve and went into the basement with a chunk of raw meat." Sheela let that sentence hang in the air a bit before continuing. "The next morning, my mother noticed how her sister was missing from her bed. Janet was horribly sick, so she knew to go to the basement. There she found her sister…or…what was left of her."

A quiet gasp escaped from Taranee and Elyon huddled closer to her brother. Irma became pale and looked like she was about to pass out.

"My mother suspected that Janet was trying to cut the meat with a knife for her pet and must have cut her hand in the process. Now, once these things taste blood they can't really stop eating and the crawler was starving. My mother found the thing chewing on her sister's remains while partly wearing her skin." Danny looked like she was going to throw up again, but Sheela continued. "These creatures are like an octopus; they can change their appearance to fit into their surroundings. They do this by observing their prey and mimicking them from their looks to the way they sound, and that thing must have known it would be killed if it didn't replace Janet in some way. Basically, my mother found a Janet look-alike chewing on Janet's remains. Of course, my mother was traumatized and so was everyone; my uncle wanted to kill the thing, but my mother wouldn't allow it. She had just lost her sister and, in some twisted way, must have seen the crawler as a replacement. She took the thing, washed it, dressed it, and treated it like it was her sister. It never fully acted like Janet and I grew up around Janet, so did your father, and so did your oldest brother. I have no idea how old Skin Crawlers get, but Janet must be around 120-years now. She grew-up around humans and is pretty calm; she even lets other crawlers pass through her territory. However, she is very protective of this house, which she sees as her den, and attacks any crawler that gets near it. She managed to kill the one chasing you pretty quickly because of how strong and well-fed she is. I won't know until I dissect it, but it appears to be severely malnourished. They can go a month without eating, but I have never seen one so thin; it must have been desperate to chase you all the way back here."

She then pulled a worn notebook from the binder and handed it to Danny. "Both my mother and I studied Janet and other Skin Crawlers that have passed through this area."

"So, let me get this straight." Phobos interrupted and held is little family close; Will was still shaking. "We have been living in a house with something that could have easily killed us and used our skin to mimic us?"

"Janet isn't that violent," Sheela responded and turned to face the young man. "She doesn't attack people, only large animals and others of her kind. She does try to steal shiny things, which was why I have the rule that people lock their doors at night. You can compare her to a dog in regard to how protective she is of her territory. She lets people in and out as they want, but nothing she dislikes. I hope that eases your worries." Everyone simply nodded, but they were still a little frightened of Janet, who was now asleep in her cubby-hole. Sheela then returned her attention to her granddaughter. "Now, I want you to read and study this book. It is all the notes we have of Janet's species and other creatures that could be considered odd. I will be doing the dissection alone tonight, but I want you to be there on the next one."

She then got up and started heading for the doorway while letting Danny digest everything she had been told. Everyone was shaken and disturbed, but Sheela knew a remedy for it and left for the kitchen; she returned a few minutes later with a tray of brandy-filled glasses. She set Danny's on the table beside her and tried to hand one to everyone. Taranee, Hay-Lyn, and Irma gladly took theirs; Elyon refused hers because she didn't like the smell, Phobos refused his because he didn't feel like drinking, and Will also refused hers.

"Come on child." She said trying to get Will to take hers. "It will help with your nerves."

"I seriously don't want it. I'll get sick from it." Will lied, she didn't want to tell everyone she was pregnant just yet. Sheela gave up, but Irma overheard what Will said and gave her a suspicious look, which Will didn't catch it. It was only after Sheela excused herself to look after Danny's meatloaf, that Phobos noticed the blood on his sister's knees; she had bled enough that it seeped through her jeans. Despite wanting to stay and comfort his wife, he pried himself loose from her grip and excused himself to take care of his sister's injuries. "Elyon is hurt. We will be right back after I get her bandaged up."

The moment he got up, Irma took his place and held onto Will; Elyon followed her brother like a child would their parent to the downstairs bathroom. There she sat on the rim of the tub and rolled up her pantlegs the best she could; some of the blood had already dried and made her jeans stick to her skin, which stung when moved. Her brother knew, from what his wife had told him, where to look for the first aid kit and what to use when, so he quickly used hydrogen-peroxide and a cotton ball to clean the injuries. "You fell while running back to the cabin, didn't you?"

"I slipped on a patch of ice. I didn't mean to." Was Elyon's quick response. She hissed a little when the peroxide stung on her knees.

"Sorry that it stings. In Meridian, I could use some salve that wouldn't, but I didn't think of bringing any with me. I didn't know we would come into a situation like this."

"None of us thought we would. Besides, I have used peroxide before and know it stings; I just don't like it." Elyon explained and held out the palms of her hands so her brother could clean those too. When the wounds were clean, Phobos took some salve, gently dabbed it on the injuries, and then wrapped her hand and knees with some cotton gauss. Elyon was all patched-up within five minutes and she quietly thanked her brother. She still didn't know how to feel about her brother, but she recognized an attempted when she saw one and she saw how her brother was trying. Remembering her conversation with Will earlier, she gave it a thought and chose to give her brother a chance. For all she knew, he was a product of his environment and she could have ended up just like him, had she grown up in Meridian.

Properly patched-up, Elyon returned to the living room and returned to her place on the sofa; completely ignoring Irma, who was whispering to Will like a gossiping schoolgirl. Phobos looked in at the group in the living room, all shaken, scared, and huddled together, with the exception of Danny who was still reading the notebook and decided he could leave them alone for a while. "I hate to do this, but I'll excuse myself for the day. I am not hungry after what had happened so I won't be seeing any of you for dinner. I wish all of you a good evening."

With that, he went upstairs. Hay-Lyn looked around at the group and noticed how Will was shaking and appeared just as exhausted as Phobos had: pale, with dark circle under her eyes, and shaking. Clearly, they had used magic to defend themselves until Danny had found them and having Irma whisper question after question to Will didn't help. She regretted not being there when her friend needed her. She hated how her, Taranee, and Irma were simply waiting at the cabin while Will, Elyon, and Phobos were close to death; however, there was nothing she could do about it now. With a reluctant sigh, she let go of Taranee and stood before her friends on the sofa. "Will, I can tell you are just as exhausted as your husband. I would feel a lot better if you went to lay down for a while. Look at yourself, you are shaking like a leaf."

Irma looked annoyed at Hay-Lyn but let Will go upstairs nonetheless; Irma still suspected that Will was hiding a pregnancy, she just couldn't prove it. Then Hay-Lyn turned to Elyon. "You too young lady." Elyon didn't argue and quietly followed Will upstairs.

XXXXX

Upstairs, Will gave Elyon a small hug, she was happy that everyone was alive, before heading to the room she shared with her husband. There, she found Phobos sitting on the bed, staring at the ground; he looked up when he heard her enter and gave her a weak smile. "Need me to push the dresser in front of the door again?"

"No," Will shook her head, "We should be fine if I simply lock the door." She then locked the door and sat beside her husband. For a moment, they quietly sat beside each other, unsure about what to do. Just as the quiet began to get unbearable, Will wrapped her arms around her husband's middle and he, immediately wrapped his arms around her; holding her tight as though she might be torn from his side any moment. "I can't believe what happened out there."

"No one can" was his response and gently rubbed her back. "I never thought there could be anything out there like that."

"I didn't know either. I heard legends that describe creatures similar to that thing in the basement, but I thought those were all they were: legends." She then pressed her head against her husband's chest to listen to his heartbeat.

"I agree with that." He then tried to smile and gave her a gentle kiss on the side of the head. "Furthermore, I can't believe we are going to be parents. Are you sure you are pregnant?"

Will nodded her head and smiled. "I took a test that is 99.99% accurate. The test was positive."

"How long do you think you have been pregnant?"

"I have been feeling strange for a few weeks. If I had to guess, I would have to say about three weeks." She replied and moved her head, so it rested on his shoulder. She was tired and her ankle still hurt; however, all she wanted to do was rest and hold her husband while he held her.

"I still can't believe it."

"Well, we weren't exactly careful since getting married."

"Let me guess, Irma was asking you if you were pregnant when I came back from patching up Elyon, didn't she?" he asked and pulled his wife onto the bed so they could lay down; he didn't let go of her the entire time.

"Yeah, I think she suspects something, but she can't prove anything. She desperately wants us to have kids, and now her wish had come true."

"Let us not tell Irma just yet." Said Phobos. At this, Will chuckled and gave her husband a weak smile before giving him a gentle kiss.

"Add my mother and Cornelia to that list and you got yourself a deal."


	10. Chapter 9 Worries

The rest of the day passed in a lull, no one was hungry for dinner and the weather changed to fit the mood. The skies darkened, the wind picked up, and more snow began to fall heavily; covering the black stains in the old snow from the fight. In her room, despite the heavy blanket, Elyon was shivering; the adrenaline had finally worn off and her body felt exhausted while her mind was still racing from everything that had happened. She still regretted having gone into the woods despite the warnings and wondered what could have happened if Danny hadn't arrived in time. What if Danny had arrived too late and she had lost both Will and her brother? She would have never forgiven herself if that happened.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Irma came to the room and sat on the bed beside Elyon. Rubbing the young girl's back, she asked. "Are you alright?"

"I am going to be okay," Elyon replied in a meek voice. "I just don't think I can forgive myself for what had happened. Will said we should go back to the store and call the cops, but I didn't listen and almost got her, and my brother killed."

"Don't talk that way about yourself." Said Irma and tried to smile at her; she didn't know what exactly had happened, but she knew Elyon would never purposefully endanger anyone. "What exactly happened out there?"

"We were on our way back from the store when I heard a call for help from the woods. Will didn't want to go, but I insisted that they needed help now. Turns out it was a trap set by that thing to lure us into the woods. It chased us deeper into the woods until we came to a clearing. I don't know how my brother found us, but I am glad he did. When the thing tried to attack again, he told me to run. I did and just kept running until I slipped on ice and fell. Then, Danny found me. I don't know what happened from there; however, I am glad that both Will and my brother, are safe." After Elyon finished recounting her side of the story, the two girls sat in silence before Irma cleared her throat.

"Well, then it isn't completely your fault. You thought someone was in danger; I would have done the same thing if I was in your place. Furthermore, all five of you are fine."

At this, Elyon furrowed her brows. With her, Will, Danny, and her brother, there were only four people outside in danger; she didn't count Janet as she seemed just fine, and she wasn't a human being. "What do you mean? Janet had no trouble fighting the crawler."

"I didn't mean Janet." She then leaned closer and whispered to the young girl with a smile. "I am certain Will is pregnant." At the thought of having endangered an unborn, Elyon jerked back, but she then remembered her conversation with Will and how she promised to inform them if she were pregnant.

"Will said she would tell us. What makes you think she is pregnant now and not tell us? We were at a store and she could have gotten a test." Elyon tried to explain, but Irma didn't want to hear of it.

"I know and she probably didn't do a test, but I am certain she is pregnant." Irma insisted and lay on the bed beside her.

"What makes you think that?" Elyon asked, now a little annoyed.

"She refused to take the brandy Sheela offered."

"Neither did I or my brother took it either. Perhaps she just didn't want one." Elyon interrupted before Irma could continue. "Why do you want Will to have a child so desperately? She just got married, give them some time."

With a heavy sigh, Irma thudded her head on her pillow. "Fine, I'll wait until I am a grandmother until I become an aunt."

"You are overreacting," Elyon muttered into the pillow and tried to sleep; perhaps that way, she would forget about the day.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, in their room, the newlyweds lay in their bed huddled close together. Will had dozed off an hour ago, but Phobos couldn't get any rest. His body was exhausted, but his mind wouldn't let him get any shut-eye. He had almost lost his wife, his life, and the life of his unborn child; furthermore, he still couldn't believe his wife was pregnant. In Addition, he was unsure what to do; this would be their first child and he didn't know much about children. He hadn't grown up in the brightest of environments, his parents never wanted him because he born a boy, but he wanted something better for his child. As Will slept in his arms, he promised to himself that he wouldn't raise the child the way he had been raised; perhaps, that way, the child would grow up to avoid the mistakes he had made. As he lay there, holding his wife, he shifted ever so slightly to run his fingers through her red hair, which caught Will's attention.

"Hmmm…you can't sleep?" she asked in a sleepy tone.

"I am sorry to wake you." He whispered.

"You are difficult to get to bed, but once you are asleep you never move so I, naturally, would notice if you started moving. What is the matter? Are you still riled up about earlier?" She shifted so she could look him in the eyes. "I am scared of those things too, but there isn't exactly much we can do about them."

"It isn't just that there are creatures like those skin-crawlers out there. I don't know if I'll be a good father."

"I am not going to raise this kid on my own." Will groaned and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "We made it together, we are raising it together."

"I am not going to abandon you." He replied in shock that Will even entertained that thought. "I just don't want to fail at raising it."

"You are not going to fail." She said in a reassuring way and sleepily ran her fingers through her husband's hair. "All we can do is try our best."

"I just don't want it to end up making the same mistakes I have."

"Well, I can understand that. You were pretty bonkers before you married me." Will replied with a chuckle and smiled at her husband "Why are you so scared to fail it? We don't even know if it is going to be a girl or a boy. Shouldn't you have those worried later in the year?"

"Well, my parents never wanted me, so I learned to be cold and ruthless; that is until I was bound to you."

Will chuckled and added. "Yeah, I'll hit you over the head if you go back to your old ways."

"But, I am happy about this; about us becoming parents. I don't care what it will be; I just want it to grow up better than I did. What if I, by doing the opposite of my parents, I cause it to end out worse then I?"

"I highly doubt that anyone could end up worse than you, so you can stop worrying about that. Again, all we can do is try our best. Even if we teach it right from wrong, it will be up to it to decide." Will then shifted so her head rested against his chest. "I didn't know your parents didn't want you. All I ever heard about them were praises."

"You mostly heard people praise my mother. I know things have changed since I took control, but the Meridian royal family is a matriarchy; therefore, boys are valued less than girls. If a prince is born, he is usually raised as a prince until he is 12, then he is sent to serve in the army, as the Queen would have given birth to a girl by that time. The position of rulership is given from the Queen to her oldest daughter; there have been exceptions where a King ruled the land, but he usually takes control if the Queen has died and the oldest princess is too young to rule. An example of this is the fifth king of Meridian's "Golden Age". People see him in different though, since he split the country into three parts to create Ero and Morovia for his son and youngest daughter to rule." It was a brief history lesson that made Will crave to learn more, but she knew her husband wouldn't provide it.

"He split a portion of the kingdom so his kids would have something; I don't think that it too bad. However, that doesn't explain why boys are valued less than girls. I know about the Light of Meridian, but you and I have been ruling the kingdom just fine and neither of us has it."

"He split a nation into pieces and disrupted the natural trade of the area to avoid sending his oldest son to war and provide a kingdom to his youngest daughter. This has caused more conflicts than they have solved in the long run. To answer your question, I am not sure why that tradition came about. The Light of Meridian always returned to the royal family, even when there was a generation without a princess. King Rothbarh III was the only child of his parents before they died and he ruled the kingdom just fine; his first daughter was born with the lights, so there have been exceptions to the rule. However, my parents were rather traditional. I wasn't even allowed to address them as mother and father." He could have told her stories of his upbringing for days. He could have told her how the King had attempted to poison him shortly after his 6th birthday when the Queen announced she was expecting a girl, but he chose not to. Will had already suffered enough of a fright for the day.

"Well, I don't care either what it will be. I will love it regardless and I will not play favorites should we end up having more in the future. Traditions be damned." She said confidently with a smile. She couldn't imagine growing-up calling her mother anything other than mother and the thought of forcing her child, should it be a boy, to do the same chilled her. Certainly, Meridian had a reason to establish that tradition, but Will saw no need for it. However, she wondered how the kingdom celebrated the birth of a new royal family member." So, when our kid is born, is it immediately announced to the people?"

"It would be announced within the first 24 hours of the child's birth with a cannon salute. 20 canons are fired for a boy and 25 are fired for a girl. Then, the name is announced to the people; from there, the people hear little to nothing until the child is either crowned the new ruler or passes away." He then smiled down at her and asked. "Are you sure you don't care about what gender our child will be?"

"For all I care, there can be a 3,000 canon announcement. I just want it to be healthy." She replied and closed her eyes with a sigh as she was growing tired again. "just relax and we will see what happens."

"Alright, I'll try to keep those worries at bay."

"And, even if your parents didn't want you; you can be sure that you are loved and wanted by me and the kid. I'll make sure of that." At this, Phobos chuckled and kissed Wills forehead. After a moment, both of them still lay awake and simply held each other, unable to truly find any rest. Will could believe that she and Phobos would have a child. She meant what she said about traditions being damned. This was her child growing inside her and she would raise it as she saw fit. Yes, she was the queen of a world with a completely different culture, but in terms of parenting, she was still too much of an Earth dweller. Her husband caught her still awake and smiled; she always complained that he was an insomniac and now, after surviving a monster and discovering about their future child, she was just as unable to find sleep as he did.

"Now you are the one who can't sleep."

"Neither can you. I think I got infected by the insomniac virus by you." Was her attempt at humor, however, that attempt fell flat. "Fine, I am just as worried and in disbelief as you are. I mean, this time last year, we were trying to kill each other. Well, at the very least you tried to take the heart and I tried to put you in prison. Now, we are married and are expecting a kid. It feels as if someone put my life on fast forward and I blinked. Did time really fly by that quick?"

"Yes, it had." He replied and rubbed her back in slow, rhythmic circles. "I am in disbelief myself. I had never thought you and I would end up like this. I never thought I would end up getting married at all. I never had a desire, nor did I see a functional purpose. I knew that, as a royal, I would have to marry and produce an heir someday, but I thought that would happen later in life. However, I am happy and satisfied to be here with you right now, even after everything that has happened." He then pressed his forehead against her's and smiled. "If it means anything, I never really planned your death. Sure, you foiling my plans had me seething with rage, but I never really wished you dead."

Will smiled at this and ran her fingertips along his neck; she couldn't help but think how much of a dork he was. "That is a relief to know." She then closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of content as a chill ran down her back from how her husband traced circles on it. "I am happy as well."

XXXXX

The next morning, everyone was slow to wake and emerge from their rooms. Sheela couldn't blame them as she emerged from the basement in the late hours of the morning; she had spent the full night dissecting the creature Janet killed and preserving some parts while discarding others in large plastic bags. She was surprised to find her granddaughter still awake in the living room, reading the notebook she had given her. Clearly, the research has caught Danny's attention and, once something catches her attention, Danny gets passionate about it. Surely, she would become a good ranger. However, Sheela was pleased to see Danny studying the family trade and showing passion; this was usually a good sign that they would be a great ranger and would survive against the more hostile creatures. Wiping her hands of the sticky, stinking, syrup like blood from the creature she excused herself for a short nap. In her youth, she would have been able to stay up longer but, in her older days, she couldn't gather the energy for that anymore.

The first to emerge was Taranee; she had spent the previous day in bed and now her sleeping schedule was out of order. She didn't really want to leave her room as she was still afraid of Janet and the dead creature in the basement, but she couldn't stay cooped up in that room; furthermore, this would be her last full day at the cabin, and she wasn't going to let fear ruin the rest of her vacation. She had fought against an evil prince in the past so those creatures should be a walk in the park for her. She only had a bowl of cereal for breakfast before going to the living room; she saw that Janet was still sleep in her cubby-hole.

"Have you been up all night reading that book?" Taranee asked in an astonished whisper.

"I have read it three times. There is no set lifespan recorded for the Skin Crawler and they have pups once a year. Have three sets of vocal cords that allow them to mimic practically any sound, they are considered mammals, and the males show no genitals until it is breeding season." Danny stated bluntly before putting the book down and rubbing her eyes. Taranee only nodded her head and forced a smile on her face.

"None of that is information I needed to learn this early in the morning." She said and sat down on the sofa.

"I know it isn't any dining room table material, but my mind is still trying to comprehend everything that had happened yesterday. I basically found out that my family is a demented form of zoologist. I had always thought that there was something off about my family, but this is bonkers." Danny replied and leaned back in her chair, causing light popping sounds to come from her spine. Her back usually made that sound whenever she sat hunched-back too long. "I highly doubt anyone out there could have a stranger life than I."

"I highly doubt that." Replied Taranee and let herself sink into the sofa. Though she had woken up uneasy, she slowly began to warm up to Janet; especially since Janet wasn't trying to steal her glasses or glare at her from her perch above the door. That was when Hay-Lyn popped her head in from the hallway and smiled meekly at Danny and Taranee, she didn't know about Janet hiding in her cubby-hole.

"Morning everyone. Is Janet?" she let the question hang in the air, but both Danny and Taranee understood what she meant. With a light smile, Danny pointed up at the cubby-hole above the door.

"She is still resting. Though she fought that other one really quickly, it is the transformation that takes a lot of energy out of Skin Crawlers. That is why they usually ambush their prey and lure them into traps by mimicking voices." At Danny's minor lesson, Hay-Lyn's jaw dropped. She was still terrified of Janet and other creatures like her, but still found it fascinating how they worked and lived. Furthermore, the more she learned about this that frightened her, the less afraid she felt. Hesitantly, she entered the living room and turned to look at Janet; she still couldn't believe that someone, who looked so human, could end up being a nightmare creature.

"It is difficult to believe she is a monster if you simply look at her sleeping." Said the wind-witch absentmindedly.

"Well, they tend to mimic things. Since Janet has been in the family for almost 100 years, it is easy to theorize that she learned to mimic appearances and some human behaviors. Just like a parrot learns to mimic human speech. According to the notebook, their intelligence is somewhere between a crow and a dolphin; with that in mind, Janet simply learned to fit in…well…for the most part." Danny continued as if Hay-Lyn was having a conversation with her. Even Taranee got up from the sofa and stood with Hay-Lyn to observe the sleeping creature. Hay-Lyn was right. Janet appeared to be a simply sleeping girl.

The next to come down from their room was Elyon. She had a fitful sleep filled with nightmares. Every time she heard a sound, she thought it was one of those creatures stalking the halls. If she felt a chilled breeze from a poorly sealed window; her mind conjured an image of a creature hovering over her, breathing down on her with a hungry breath. Each time, she closed her eyes, her mind wandered back to the woods and how that creature, in the form of a stag, wrapped its' hideous claw around the tree trunk. Naturally, when she woke up, she felt more exhausted than when she had gone to bed. In addition to the nightmares, Irma was snoring like a rusty chainsaw and kept rolling on top of her. To say that she looked like hell warmed over would have been an understatement. She had dark circles under her eyes, her face looked pale and joyless, and she hadn't bothered properly comb her hair but simply tied it back in a sloppy bun. Naturally, Danny caught sight of the young princess and had to give a comment.

"Yeesh, you looked like you rolled off the wrong side of the bed." Elyon thought that silly comments must run in Irma's family. Shrugging off the comment, Elyon simply stretched and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I have had better nights." She then approached the doorway to the living room and tried to smile. "Let me guess, Janet is in the cubby-hole?"

"Yup," Hay-Lyn replied with a smile. "She is still asleep." From beside Hay-Lyn, Taranee pipped up.

"She sleeps even more than Will." This made the group giggle a little. Even Danny, who knew nothing about how sleepy Will can be, let out a chuckle. After a few more minutes, Phobos came down and made himself a cup of coffee, no sugar, no cream, just black coffee. He didn't look much better than his sister. Because of their pale complexion, blue eyes, and blond hair, the Escanor siblings easily revealed their exhaustion. He said nothing except greeting them for the morning; he had guessed, by the way, he found them gathered at the living room doorway, that they were discussing Janet. He was thankful for the creature disguised as a human girl for saving them the previous day, but he still felt uneasy around her. Something about having lived around a creature that could have easily killed them for 2 days made him uncomfortable. Shortly after he had made a cup of coffee, Will came down from their room; luckily, because of her red hair, she didn't look nearly as exhausted as the royal siblings. As Phobos expected, Will complained that he had gotten up too soon and that she was cold without him. He had heard that complaint nearly every day since they got married. He didn't mind it if anything it made him feel important to her.

Even after having her brother patch her up, Elyon felt a little guilty around Phobos. She had decided to give him another chance, but she still felt guilty for having put his and Will's life in danger. She decided that at some point during the day, she would apologize to him. So far, he seemed to be a reasonable man and she hoped he would forgive her. Finally, after everyone had a chance to wake up, Irma managed to crawl out of bed. Her brown hair a completely tangled mess and her face showing a crease were it had rested on a fold in the pillow. The only thing saving her from looking as messed up as the Escanor siblings was her complexion and hair color. When Danny spotted her cousin slowly trotting down the stairs, she smiled and leaned out into the hallway. "Oh Irms, I need you to get dressed. That crawler from the previous day knocked the gun out of my hand I need to get it before it becomes a rusted hunk of metal."

At this, Irma stopped in her tracks and gave her cousin a nervous smile. "Are you sure it is safe to out into those woods?"

"Janet's territory runs all the way to the end of the trail and Winter is the season the crawlers tend to hibernate. The likelihood of running into another one is low and, even if we did, Janet would rip them to shreds. If we run into another, all we have to do is run towards the cabin as fast as we can." Replied Danny with a smile and reached out to pat her cousin on the shoulder. "We are related, so you are as much a Downing as I am and, I don't know if you have heard, but our motto is that we dance with danger while blowing death a kiss."


	11. Chapter 10 The End Teaser

Irma really didn't want to go into the woods with her cousin Danny, but she couldn't just abandon her. Her friends had offered to come along, but Danny refused in Irma's place and insisted that only the two of them were needed. Begrudgingly, Irma got dressed and forced herself to eat a few bites of cold meatloaf before the two of them headed out, following the path with some difficulty, as Danny hadn't had the chance to clear it of the snow. All the while, Irma wondered why Danny insisted that only the two of them were to go. In the past, when Danny wanted to play with Irma alone, it was usually because something bothered Danny; she could always confine in Irma to keep any secret and the water-witch had a feeling this was the reason. Clearing her throat, Irma chose to break the ice. "So, is there a reason why you wanted me to come along?"

"Well, you are my cousin," Danny replied and kept her eyes on the trail ahead. This made Irma feel uncomfortable; Danny was never the type to stay quiet. She always had something to say, always had something to do, or a story to tell; sure, the previous day's events would shake anyone to the core, but Danny had lived through years of living with her abusive sister Ella, so surely Danny could weather this as well. That was then Danny continued. "I have some questions and hope you can answer them."

"Sure, I can try to answer your questions. However, I have to warn you, I am not good with history questions or math. I can't help with that." Danny chuckled at Irma's blatant attempt at humor.

"It is about your friends…The two married ones." Irma began to get a bad feeling in her stomach. "I saw something that I don't really understand."

"Well…when a man and a woman like each other very much."

"NOT THAT!" Danny snapped and waved her hand as with trying to swat away a fly. "This happened yesterday when I helped them escape." The sinking feeling in Irma's stomach grew. "When I found them, I saw what looked like a multicolored dome on top of them. It acted as a barrier to protect them from the crawler. Nothing in the notebook suggest that Skin-Crawlers can do that; it would also be counter-intuitive since the thing was hungry. I tried to think of any conceivable explanation, and I can't come to an answer."

Now Irma understood why she had been feeling the sinking feeling. It was already difficult enough to keep their secret from their parents. Sure, Susan had found out about their powers because Will decided to be completely honest with her mother, but none of the rest had come out to their parents about it. Irma knew that Will and Phobos hadn't meant for Danny to discover their powers, and Danny didn't know what she saw, but it still didn't help. "Well, are you sure it wasn't the light of a flare? Perhaps the thing was afraid of the light of the flare."

Danny only shook her head. "No, that definitely wasn't a flare. Tony taught me about flares and what I saw was no flare. I just want to understand what I saw, and I don't know if I can ask Will and Philip."

Irma inwardly cringed and felt like kicking herself. She didn't want to tell Danny about her powers, it might even bring Danny into danger should another crazy ruler show themselves in Meridian, but Irma knew her cousin. Irma knew enough about Danny to know what she would never stop investigating until she found out the truth. Clenching her fists and grinding her teeth, Irma forced herself to answer Danny. "Danny, there is more to our family than you think."

"I know, we learned yesterday, but that isn't what I meant. Will and her husband aren't related to us."

"That wasn't what I meant either." Irma interrupted before Danny could continue. "Danny, there are things about me and my friends that you don't know about." Danny quietly stared at Irma as they walked, waiting for her to continue. "I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't know how you would react, but my friends and I have magical powers."

As expected, Danny burst out laughing. Clearly, she didn't take Irma too seriously. "Nice attempt at a joke. But I was being serious when I asked."

"I am being serious," Irma replied in a blatant tone and Danny's laughter caught in her throat.

"What the hell do you mean you have 'magic powers'?" Danny asked with a furrowed brow and stopped in her tracks. Irma sighed; she had no idea how to explain everything to her cousin; how does one explain to their family that they have control over a natural element. For a moment, Irma stood still and thought before closing her eyes, scooped up a handful of snow, held it in her hand so it would melt, and holding out her hand; if she couldn't explain it, she would show it. Danny let out a small chuckle before she saw what Irma was doing. At Irma's fingertips, droplets of the melted snow began to float in midair. Danny stood there; gobsmacked at what she was seeing. Irma opened her eyes and concentrated on making the drops dance until they formed a swirl of water that looked similar to the Milky Way Galaxy. Irma felt like doing a lot more to demonstrate her abilities to Danny, but it was more difficult to use her magic when she wasn't in her guardian form and didn't want to exhaust herself too much. Satisfied that Danny understood, Irma let the water drop into the snow and smiled at her cousin, who simply stood there with her mouth agape.

"I told you there was more to our family than you think." Said Irma with a smile and fidgeted with her hands when Danny didn't say anything. Finally, after what felt like ages, Danny closed her mouth and let out a low whistle.

"That is tough to take in." was all she managed to get out.

"Not everyone can do this," Irma stated; she was going to explain everything to Danny, now that pandora's box was opened. "Will, Taranee, Hay-Lyn, and I all have powers. Mine just happened to be water. Taranee can use Fire and Hay-Lyn is air. Will can use energy and what you saw was probably a defense spell. We are a team and use to fight Will's husband before they fell in love and got married. In reality, Elyon and her brother aren't even from Earth. They are from a world called Meridian and are royals. Elyon is the princess and Phobos is the prince. He used to be an evil jerk and tried to kill my friends and me on several occasions, but then he was poisoned to love Will; I played a part in it and tried to ensure Will that it was a good idea to give him a chance. Now Will and Phobos are happily married and might have a child soon. Will came out to her mother as a guardian, so Ms. Vandom knows about us, but I hadn't told anyone else. You are the only one I have ever told and, outside of Will's mother and ex-boyfriend, you are the only outsider that knows about it. I am begging that you don't tell anyone." Irma hadn't meant to relay her full life's story, but she couldn't stop herself; all the while, Danny simply stood there with an open mouth. When Irma finally managed to stop, Danny stood still for a while, as if frozen, before shaking her head; her head hurt as if she had been hit with a 2x4.

"Wow…I think my brain just shut down." She said and rubbed the side of her head. "So, the clown with the tattooed eyebrows is a prince and is married to your friend, who is a magical girl just like you, and you and your friends use to fight him. Then, because of some voodoo bullshit, he falls head-over-heels for your friend and now everything is hunky-dory. Is there anything else I am missing?"

"You skipped the part about Meridian," Irma added and tried to give her cousin a gentle smile. She had the feeling that Danny believed her. Her cousin wasn't a gullible person but was good at knowing when someone was telling the truth and when someone was lying.

"Right…right…he is a former evil, alien, prince, with tattooed eyebrows. Anything else?"

"We used to have a fifth member of the group, but Cornelia and we had a falling out when Will got married to Phobos. She hasn't gotten over that and has been a bit of a bully since then." Irma didn't want to tell Danny that part, but honesty was the best at this point.

"Alright," Danny said and leaned against a tree for support while digesting everything she had been told. Then she looked up at Irma and shook her head. "Am I on drugs?"

"No, Danny. You are sober and this is real life." Replied Irma and lowered her voice to a calm and soothing tone. "This world is strange, and I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to lose your mind."

"Well, we both know that I lost my mind a long time ago." Danny chuckled and looked up the path as if expecting someone to pop out of the woods and proclaim everything to be a prank. When that didn't happen, her eyes met Irma's again. "I always thought there was something strange about you, but I have never thought you would be this weird. You are not going to expect that I join you and your friends in a fight next time your friend's husband snaps?"

"He isn't going to snap, and Will is happy with him. I am just worried that other loonies will come crawling out of the woodwork and we have to fight them. However, I do not expect you to join the fight. I am just scared that they will find out about you and will try something." Irma's shoulders drop as she explained her worries to her cousin.

"Irma, I have survived my sister Ella beating me with a telephone book, I should be fine with anything your crazy world will throw at me." She then smiled at Irma and held out her hand, pinky-finger extended. "I promise not to tell anyone."

Irma couldn't help but smile back and lock pinky-fingers with her cousin; she knew she could rely on Danny. From there, the two girls continued to walk and talk about the insanity that was going on. Irma even told Danny about Will's actual age, which did unnerve Danny a bit, but it already fit the insanity going on. They managed to find the shotgun, but to Danny's dismay, it was bent. This must have happened when the crawler knocked it out of her hands, and it hit a nearby tree. At least the trip wasn't for nothing.

When they returned to the cabin, Danny pretended the conversation between her, and Irma never happened and threw the broken weapon into the hallway closet before entering the living room where everyone had gathered and were relaxing. As much as she wanted the group to relax from the previous day's events, simply sitting around the lounge wasn't the best thing they could do with their time. With a smile, Danny leaned against the living room doorframe and cleared her throat to catch everyone's attention. "Hey guys, I know a lot happened yesterday and we are all a little drained, but I suggest we go out and enjoy the freshly fallen snow before I have to drive you guys back to Heatherfield tomorrow. I don't really want you folks to leave with a bad taste in your mouth about this place."

"Danny is right," Irma chirped up before anyone could object, "It is safe outside and we," she pointed to Will "need to fix our snowmen. Because of the snowfall last night, they completely lost their shape."

The group exchanged worried glances, they were still afraid about what had happened the previous day but shrugged and put their trust in Irma's word. Besides, Janet would be there and protect them should something happen. Janet simply looked down at the group with a lazy glance; similar to the way a cat would. After getting dressed in warm jackets, hats, and scarfs, the group left the cabin and began to break into groups. Irma and Will returned to their snowman, reshaping him and attempting to make him a mate. Taranee joined them to make the work easier and Hay-Lyn busied herself making one snow angle after another. The Escanor sibling stayed on the porch and looked out at the group having fun. From where they stood, there was no sign of what happened yesterday. Elyon felt like joining Hay-Lyn or Irma and the others, but she could hardly bend her knees from the way her brother had bandaged them. Instead, she was contempt standing beside her brother and leaning against the railing.

"Don't you want to instigate another snowball fight?" Elyon asked and looked out at everyone having fun; spotting Danny making her way to the tree line.

"If I did that, you would be a sitting duck," Phobos replied and kept his eyes on his wife. "Besides, Will twisted her ankle yesterday. Sure, she can walk, but I don't want to risk anything and, from what I learned, the others don't share her temper so it wouldn't be as much fun as yesterday."

At this, another sting of guilt ran through Elyon and she turned her gaze towards the ground. Furthermore, Irma's words kept repeating over and over in her mind. What if Will was pregnant and wasn't telling anyone. Fiddling with a piece of ice, Elyon asked, "Is Will pregnant?"

Phobos froze, but Elyon didn't notice; he wasn't sure what to say to her. He didn't want to lie to his sister, as it might deepen the rift he had created between them, but he wanted to honor his wife's wishes to keep it a secret. His mind blanked and he tried to smile. "Are you asking for Irma? I am sure Will already told her."

"I am not asking for Irma. I want to know because I feel bad for yesterday. I feel horrible that I endangered her and you. I thought someone was in danger and wanted to help. I swear I didn't know about those skin-crawlers." Elyon tried to apologize, but her brother interrupted her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I am not upset at you if that is what you are worried about. I am just glad you and Will are safe and mostly unhurt. Please stop beating yourself up about this; I am sure Will would have gone and done the same thing as you if this had happened last year." He then takes his hand off her shoulder and offered her a friendly smile. "As for Will and I expecting a kid, I don't know, but I'll make sure you are the first to find out. Just don't tell Irma when we tell you."

At this, Elyon smiled up at her brother and offered him a small side hug. She was so relieved that he wasn't angry at her and didn't think twice about hugging him. Phobos was a little surprised and didn't know what to do; he still wasn't used to people showing affection towards him, so he gently patted Elyon on the back. He was used to Will showing him affection and, because of the poison coursing through his veins, felt great whenever he touched her, but the poison had no effect on him if others touched him, so he simply felt out of place. Elyon quickly realized how uncomfortable her brother was and let go of him. "Sorry, I was just happy that you weren't angry at me."

"It is alright Elyon," Phobos started, trying to reassure his sister. "It is just that I am not really used to interacting with people."

"I didn't know," Elyon replied and returned her gaze to the ground. "I planned on getting to know you on this trip, but I have failed so far."

"We both have." He chuckled and extended his hand towards her. "Will and I introduced ourselves like this. Hello, my name is Phobos Escanor and I am your brother."

Elyon chuckled and shook his hand with a smile. "Hi, I am Elyon Brown, your little sister." Will looked over her shoulder and noticed her husband appearing uncertain over the hug he had received from his little sister and stifled a giggle. She knew her husband was trying his best to be a decent brother, but he was comically failing at it.

Danny, on the other hand, had spotted something she had been missing for a while. It was her post-hole-digger stuck in a tree. Annoyed, she grumbled a few choice words loud enough for everyone to hear them. "WHAT THE DUCK KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?"

Naturally, everyone looked in Danny's direction and Irma couldn't help but ask. "What is the matter, Danny?"

"I KNEW JANET TOOK MY TOOL!" Danny shouted back and looked over her shoulder at the group while pointing up at the tool in the tree. "She yeeted it up in a tree. Why would she do that? JANET!" she called, but nothing happened. Seeing that Janet hadn't emerged, she called again but called out her bluff. "JANET I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!" Finally, one of the living room windows opened and Janet popped her head out, giving Danny one of those lazy stares. "Why did you yet my tool up the tree?" Danny asked, but Janet only responded with a yawn and closed the window, leaving Danny to glare at the closed window before scrambling up the tree and using her feet to kick the tool free. The post-hole-digger hit the snowy ground with a silent thud, jumped down from the tree, and carried the tool away.

The girls stifled a giggle at Janet's prank and how Danny reacted to it. From there, the day passed without incident. Hay-Lyn started a snowball fight but quickly regretted it when Will joined the battle and pummeled her with her attacks. Even Elyon joined the fight despite being unable to completely bend her knees; joining Will's side of the fight. After taking the tool to the shed at the back of the cabin, Danny joined the fight as well, so it was three against three. Irma, Taranee, and Hay-Lyn on one side and Will, Elyon, and Danny on the other with Phobos as the referee. However, when the fight was over, he claimed that it was a tie since he didn't really pay it any attention. After they had enough fun of the outside and returned to the living room to warm-up by the fire. Danny fried the meatloaf with some vegetables and dinner was had with everyone telling jokes and funny stories. They didn't even mind Janet's behavior of picking at her food, she did eat the meatloaf and even warmed up to her. Elyon made a comment on how Janet reminded her of a loyal dog, and everyone agreed. In many aspects, Janet was a dog: she had her territory that she protected, stayed loyal to her family, allowed visitors but not intruders, and ate from the kitchen table. Despite having warmed up to Jante, the group still opted to lock their doors at night but didn't have much of an issue getting some sleep. Except for Phobos who still felt worried about having a kid, but Will simply held him and reassured him that everything would be fine. "Please stop being so worried. You are going to do fine."

"I practically failed at being a decent brother towards my sister. How am I going to be a good father if I can't even be a good brother?"

At this, Willed her eyes. "I swear, your insomniac mind comes up with the weirdest things." She then leaned her head against his chest. "After everything that has happened between you and your sister, it takes a lot longer than 3 days to fix it. You and I practically had weeks in the Inbetween to fix our relationship. Just give it some time and keep trying." He agreed and closed his eyes while holding Will close; they only had four hours before they would all climb back into the car and return home. With the exception of the first two days, their vacation was great, and they were genuinely sad that it would be over soon. All too soon, morning came, and Danny busied herself clearing the driveway and preparing the minibus for the long drive. This gave the group the opportunity to properly say their goodbyes to Sheela and Janet.

"I am so sorry if you guys got scared or felt unsafe here. I honestly tried to keep Janet at bay and had no idea that the other crawler would attack. I still don't know why it was awake this far into the Winter. Except for the malnutrition, there is nothing wrong with the crawler."

"It is alright Sheela." Replied Hay-Lyn and offered the old lady a small hug. "You couldn't have known that our visit would go this bonkers."

"I agree with Hay-Lyn," Added Will with a smile. "If it hadn't been for the event in the woods, this visit would have been fine. Besides, we are all alive and fine, so there isn't anything to feel sorry about."

"Still, I feel bad about what happened. I just wasn't sure how to explain our family trade. No one outside the family knows about it. However, I am glad it is out now and that you all understand." At this, Irma felt like blurting out their secret, but bit her tongue and simply reassured Sheela that everything was alright. Soon, Danny was done clearing the driveway and the group gathered into the bus with Sheela and Janet standing on the front porch waving the group goodbye. During their drive, Danny told stories and jokes, Hay-Lyn laughed to the point she almost passed out, Taranee attempted to keep her friend from laughing so hard she would burst a vein, Elyon fell asleep, Irma helped Danny recount their childhood stories, and Will and Phobos sat in the back listening to everything going on. For some reason, the drive back to Heatherfield seemed shorter than the drive to the cottage and, but the time the sun was high, they arrive back in front of the antique bookstore. With a smile, Danny watched her new friends leave the bus with their suitcases and said "Well, this is where I leave you, folks. Enjoy your day and see you in the spring when I move here."

"When you move here, I'll make sure to show you around and introduce you to everyone." Replied Irma and felt glad that Danny had pretended the entire time, that their conversation about magic never happened. Between Irma and Danny, the unspoken promise was that she would show Danny Meridian in secret when she moved to Heatherfield. For Irma, it felt as though a weight was lifted off her chest when she confided in Danny. With another smile and a wave, Danny drove away and returned the way she came, leaving the group standing by the bookstore as if the vacation had never happened. Even though it was early in the day, the jetlag affected everyone and they said their farewells before everyone went their separate ways.

Before returning to Meridian, they decided to say hello to Susan, who naturally insisted that Will tell her everything that had happened. Susan had never fully warmed up to Phobos and Will, despite loving her mother, became annoyed with Susan's worries. She always asked if Will was safe and treated well, and no matter how often Will tried to reassure her that everything was fine, it was never enough for Susan. Phobos even, secretly, suspected that Susan worried he was abusive towards Will and Susan was trying to find ways to prove it.

"How was your vacation?" Susan asked as she tightly hugged her daughter, completely ignoring Phobos. He didn't mind as he didn't fancy the idea of having his ribs cracked by this woman. "You look so pale, should we go to the doctor?"

"Mom, my vacation was great, and I am pale because I was stuck in a minibus for 7 hours. I do not need a doctor; I need a bath and a nap." Replied Will to assure her mother that she was fine and told Susan about their vacation, leaving out the Skin-Crawler parts and the part where she discovered her pregnancy. After hours of telling Susan about their vacation, Will and Phobos were finally allowed to return to Meridian. After their visit to Susan's house, the newlyweds felt more exhausted than they had after the long drive and the Skin-Crawler attack combined.

They decided to wait a while before announcing the pregnancy to anyone. For now, it was a secret between the two of them alone.

_**The End**_

_**Trailer to Part III: W.I.T.C.H.: The Bloody Throne**_

In the capital city of Ero in the Kingdom of Ero, resting in a plush wing chair in her study, located in the highest tower of the Ero castle, Armana, the sister of the king sat hunched over her desk with a collection of letters strewn over it; her honey-brown hair and ruby colored eyes, and milky skin glowing from the fire burning away in the study's fireplace. However, her eyes glowed with more than just the reflection of the fire; they were glowing with rage at the manuscripts before her. They were contracts between Ero, Morovia, and Meridian in attempts to keep the shaky peace between Ero and Morovia. Looking over the piles of paper, Armana felt her heart burn with anger. According to the papers before her, Ero was to perform primary trade with Morovia in return to keep it from attempting to claim more land. Furthermore, she couldn't understand why her brother, the retired King Piegan, agreed with Meridian's shaky attempt to establish peace with Morovia. To her, Meridian wasn't using the power it held properly; Meridian had the might to erase Morovia from the map but didn't capitalize on it. Furthermore, she couldn't comprehend that King Phobos would propose such a ludicrous contract. Surely his marriage to that Wilhelmina must have made his mind soft and, of course, the king was unavailable to discuss this contract because he was on retreat with his wife.

She felt as though the entire world had lost its' mind and it made Armana sick to her stomach. However, she had no one to confide in; her brother was a pacifistic moron who would gladly ruin the country if it prevented a war; her niece, the current queen Isabel was too inexperienced; the King of Meridian had lost his mind after marriage; Armana was surrounded by soft idiots that didn't understand the situation Ero was in. If Morovia felt like it, they could invade Ero and conquer it within a week and the only thing that promised peace was an idiotic trade agreement.

The only thing to accompany Armana's raging thoughts was the crackle of the fire in the black marble fireplace, the ticking of the grandfather clock behind her, and the gentle tapping of rain on the window. However, despite the storm of anger raging inside her, Armana noticed how the surrounding sounds began to fade, almost as if she were covering her head with a blanket. Furthermore, she could feel a presence in the room with her, which would have been impossible, since she always locked the door to her study.

Remaining calm, Armana rose from her seat and let her eyes wander over her study that was dimply light by the fire; the flames casting eerie shadows along the walls. With a firm and steady voice, Armana parted her plump red lips and spoke, "Whoever you are, show yourself." Secretly, she flicked her fingertips and small sparks of black fire sprouted from them; she was prepared to kill whoever had invaded her private room.

From the far corner of the room, a pair of glowing magenta eyes opened and stared back at her. In a soft and sultry tone, the shadow spoke. "Hello, Duchess Armana of Ero. A little bird told me that you are displeased with the peace contract between your kingdom and Morovia; I think I can help you with that."

"Who are you?" Armana narrowed her eyes at the curvy figure standing in the shadows. She still kept her magic ready, just in case this intruder attempted something. With a pearly white-toothed smile that caught the glow of the fire, the figure answered.

"Please call me Ionah."

_**Author's Note:**_

Thank you for reading W.I.T.C.H.: Cries from the Woods. I hope you enjoyed it. I am sorry if it was a lot shorter than The Inbetween, but it was meant to be. Yes, I am working on a third part, but it might be a while before I can post it because it is currently preparation for Finals, which means a lot of studying an projects and sending out job applications. I am very grateful for all the kind and inspiring comments. I am sorry if the ending is a bit rushed, but I am still learning how to write endings since I so rarely finish my stories. This should be, about, the third story I actually finished, so I am still learning to tie up all loose ends.

Next, answering some questions I think you guys might have.

Yes, the think the basement was Janet when Irma had an encounter. I was trying to be fair and give everyone a creepy encounter with a Skin-Crawler.

Yes, in this universe, Phobos managed to steal a bit of Elyon's powers before the events of Inbetween. However, Elyon doesn't resent her brother. She is very forgiving and is trying to patch things up with her brother but doesn't know how. I suck at writing sibling moments because I don't have any strong communication with my own siblings. I don't know how to sibling. I have three brothers from my father's previous marriage, and I have only ever spoken with one via email. Elyon's inability to communicate with Phobos mirrors my inability to communicate with my brothers.

Yes, the characters are a bit watered down because I am unsure how to properly portray their transition from Phobos's enemies to his friends. I also don't really know what to do with the Prince himself. I made him king since I thought it would be a good idea and it was a great excuse to make Will queen. Will is my favorite character.

I am also working on a prequel were I delve in deeper to Phobos's childhood. I have a brief summary of his upbringing. I had a discussion with my friend and fellow W.I.T.C.H. fan and have come to the conclusion that the Meridian royal family is a strict Matriarchy. I know it would probably insult a lot of fans, but I get the feeling he didn't have the rosiest childhood. I believe that no one is born evil and that includes the prince. It will be called: The Prince's Frozen Heart and it will be a bit tough to read.

I planned on announcing Will's pregnancy to be a dramatic surprise, but it seems a lot of you have already guessed it would happen. I guess surprise failed, but it will play a part in part 3.

Perhaps it is because Cries from the Woods is a sequel or because I hinted too heavily in the first chapter, but yes, Will and Phobos are active and produced a kid. They planned to wait, but they share a bed; something was going to happen sooner or later.

Yes, Phobos is still under the affect of the poison and he will for the rest of his life. I might not always mention it, but he is cursed with it forever. Also, yes, Will loves this clown.

I mentioned that Phobos has tattooed eyebrows because, in appearance, he looks the way he does in the show and I remember an episode where we see him as a child, and he did not have those markings. I am guessing that Meridian see tattoos as symbols and that each marking has a certain meaning. For all I know the eyebrow tattoos symbolize intelligence.

No, part 3 isn't a self-insert fanfiction. I had the outline for part 3 completed by the time I changed my username. I changed it because one of my College classmates discovered who I was and said that my username sounded like I was a 13-year-old edge-lord. That wasn't the intent. I literally felt DEAD at the time I made this account and felt that it fit perfectly. I usually don't change names much because I want people to recognize my stories under one name.

Yes, Cedric will be featured in part 3. In fact, practically all characters will be featured in some way or another. It will be the longest fanfiction I will ever right (it might reach 100 chapters given the length of the outline) and it is going to get a little dark. I am still finding my style so it will be a real grab-bag and your reviews are a great source of feedback to let me know how I am pleasing you. I exist to entertain.

Lastly, I am working on an actual book focusing on Nana and it will be featured on Wattpad once I get Chapter 1 done.

_**Next some questions I have for you:**_

1: What do you think the baby will be and what do you think Will and Phobos will name it? (this is an obvious question, but you will never guess the name.)

2: Given the name of part 3, what do you think will happen to our beloved characters?

3: Between the two stories, who is your favorite OC and WHY? (I need to know because it helps with character development and my writing process.)

4: Do you want longer chapters (3,500 words +) or shorter chapters (2,500-3,000 words)? (this is important because it allows me to guess how much time I need to dedicate on the stories)

5: What should the upload schedule be? (I will try to follow deadlines as best as possible. (If I can't make an update I will let you know why)

6: Do you want me to narrate both Inbetween and Cries from the Woods and upload them to YouTube for all you none-English readers? (I learned to read through the help of audiobooks and spite)

7: Who is your least favorite OC and why?

8: Would you guys like a book focusing on Nana and the world she grew up in?

9: What do you guys think of the name change?

10: Are the characters acting reasonable and relatable?

11: Are Will and Phobos acting reasonable and relatable in the given situation and in their relationship? (keep in mind, they are still in the 'honeymoon' phase of their relationship and one of them is conditioned to love the other.)

13: Would you read a story about Nana?

14: Do you want Nana to keep her accent?

15: How do you feel about the relationship between Irma and her cousin Danny?

16: How much of Danny and her crazy family do you want featured in part 3?

17: Are you excited about both The Prince's Frozen Heart and The Bloody Throne?

Thank you for all your love and support 😊


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